Child Find
LOCATE - IDENTIFY - EVALUATE
Every Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) and school district is required to have procedures in place to help locate students who may need special education services, and each public school site within the SELPA has information on how to initiate a referral for special education services.
If your child is not in a special education program and you suspect they may have a disability, please contact your child's teacher or principal to discuss your concerns. A student may be referred by parents, teachers, and other school staff members, doctors, agency staff, or others.
Children Ages Birth to 3 years
If you have a concern about your child's development, and your child is younger than 3 years of age, please contact the Regional Center:
Central Valley Regional Center
5441 W Cypress Ave, Visalia, CA 93277
(559) 738-2200
Children Ages 3 Years of Age
If your child is 3 years of age and you have a concern about your child's development, please contact the Early Childhood Special Education office at (559) 735-8130.
Children Who Are School Age (TK and Up)
If your child is school age (TK and up) and you have a concern about your child’s progress in school, please contact the principal at your child's public school of residence to discuss your concerns. As appropriate, your child may be referred to the Student Study Team (SST) to discuss concern(s), identify potential areas of need, and propose interventions, based on student needs. The SST includes representatives from general education, and may include special education representatives, who review student progress and suggest interventions and strategies to assist students within the general education program. The SST will develop an action plan to support your child’s educational progress. It is highly recommended an SST meet to review a student's progress prior to developing an assessment plan for suspected disabilities.
Children Attending Private Schools
Through the Child Find process, the Visalia Unified School District is committed to locating, identifying and evaluating students with disabilities ages 3-21 parentally placed in a private school. If you suspect your child or a student in your program has a disability, you may discuss the evaluation process with a District representative. Please contact your child's school of residence or the VUSD Special Education Department for assistance.
For students that are currently attending a private school, the responsibility to conduct Child Find belongs to the District of Residence (district where student lives), per an agreement between the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) in Tulare County.
A special education evaluation may be requested by choosing one of the following options. All requests for a special education evaluation must be in writing. If you are unable to provide a written request, staff are available to assist you.
- Resident Students
For students residing within VUSD boundaries, written requests for initial or three-year special education evaluations are made to the public school of residence. - Non-Resident Students
For students who reside outside VUSD boundaries but attend a private school within VUSD boundaries, written requests for initial or three-year special education evaluations are made to their District of Residence. Please contact your child's school of residence for assistance.