Child Development Days scheduled for Nov. 8-9

Talk about it

All families who live in the School District of New Richmond with children whose birthdays fall between Feb. 5, 2009, and Feb. 9, 2010, are invited to participate in Child Development Days held at the New Richmond-Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Thursday and Friday, Nov. 8-9. Also invited are families with prekindergarten children who are new to the district or who have not participated in the past.

Child Development Days is a type of “child find” activity as well as a time for families to learn more about child development and meet school district specialists.

Child find is a term used in state and federal law regarding a school district’s responsibility to locate children with educational disabilities within its district. School districts in Wisconsin are mandated by law to locate, identify and evaluate all resident children with disabilities, including children attending private schools or those attending their schools under open enrollment. To do this all schools in the St. Croix County area have screening programs to help them locate children with educational disabilities. Screening programs can be formal and informal. Formal programs may include an early childhood or kindergarten screening process. Some schools in St. Croix County use the Child Development Days model. The model is an interagency collaborative effort designed to meet these three goals: 1. Educate families concerning typical child growth and development; 2. Develop community awareness of resources available in the areas of education, childcare, medical/health and family support services; 3. Identify children that may need intervention services prior to school start (i.e.: hearing/vision).

Your child will be encouraged to participate in a play setting where social, communication, motor and early learning skills will be observed. Your child’s hearing and vision will be screened. You will also meet with an interviewer who will discuss any questions you may have about your child’s development.

Parents have the opportunity to speak with school psychologists, speech therapists and/or early childhood educators concerning the current status of their child’s development. There will be information on NR4Kids, the school district’s community-based 4-year-old kindergarten. Many handouts on various areas of development are available for parents to take. Also, parents are able to learn more about resources in the community. Children may also receive a free item from the event as well.

Flyers were distributed to area preschools, agencies and businesses earlier this month. Letters will be sent to every known family with a child of eligible age. Beginning Monday, Oct. 18, you may call 715-243-7470 for an appointment. If you have concerns regarding your child that is younger than 2 years, 9 months, call Birth to Three Early Intervention at 715-246-8408.

Tags: new richmond schools, education, health