Welcome to the Child Find web site! This site offers information and resources related to the earliest possible identification of young children and their families who may benefit from early intervention or education services.

Child Find is a component of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that requires states to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged birth to 21, who are in need of early intervention or special education services. This Child Find web site is mainly focused on Part C of the IDEA, the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. However, much of the information and many of the links listed on the Child Find web site can be useful in conducting child find for all young children, not just child find for infants and toddlers.

The Child Find web site reflects the collective experience of directed demonstration projects concerning Part C child find activities awarded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to University Centers of Excellence in six states throughout the country: Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Through additional support form OSEP, the projects created this web site to share materials and findings and to provide linkages to other child find-related resources.

The Dynamic Community Connections Project: A Process Model for Enhancing Child Find in Rural Areas, The University of Montana Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, and Service is funded through grant award number H324T990023-01 from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the Department of Education's position or policy.