The state and federal regulations governing special education indicates that when there is reason to believe that a child may have a disability requiring special education and related services, the child shall be referred for a full and individual evaluation to determine if special education services are warranted.School districts, by law, are mandated to provide a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities who are ages 3 through 21.Parents of preschool children who need or are thought to need, special education support and related service support have the same rights as other school-age children.Special education indicates that when there is reason to believe that a child may have a disability requiring special education and related services, the child shall be referred for special education services.If warranted, special education and related services must begin upon the child's third birthday for children served in early intervention programs or for those children referred for an evaluation 60 school days before their third birthday and found eligible. The law provides that each school district shall develop and make know to all concerns persons the procedures by which an evaluation may be requested.

Community Consolidated School District 93 has a Preschool Special Service Team (SST) comprised of a coordinator, school psychologist, school social worker, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and school nurse.The team is responsible for processing referrals, documenting what action should be taken and determining what action should be taken, as well as initiating the necessary procedures.The Preschool SST determines whether the referred child requires a Full and Individual Evaluation.

Program placement options: 
Early Childhood Special Education - The Early Childhood Special Education Program is designed for students with identified developmental delays in the area of speech-language, motor (physical/fine), social-emotional, adaptive and/or cognitive functioning.This program provides early intervention ifor children identified with special education needs, ages three and four. The students eligible for this program are those children, ages 3 and 4 years of age, who evidence a 40% delay in one specific developmental area or 20% delays in two or more developmental areas. The students needs are significant that a specialized program is required. 
 
Speech and Language (S&L) - The Speech-Langauge only program is provided for students with an identified impairment in one or more of the following areas: articulation, voice, fluency and or language delay/disorder, which adversely affects their educational performance. The students who are early childhood age (3-5) typically evidence a delay of 39% or less in  speech and langauge skills. 

Itinerant Services - Itinerant services are those services (speech-langauge, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision, hearing) that are provided to students who evidence a special education need, but families decided to decline the proposed Special Education program placement and simply receive related services. Itinerant services are schedule with the appropriate therapists and the family at a mutaully agreed upon time. 

Inclusion - An Inclusion Program is designed for those students who would otherwise be in a self-contained program, but for whom it has been determined appropriate to provide supports and services in the regular education classroom. The student would be attending their home school, the school that he or she would attend if they did not have a disability.