Early Intervention services for children in Florida?

Question

How does a child qualify for early intervention, early childhood and special education services in Florida? Is there a statewide services or is it does through the schools? I am new to the state and trying to figure all of this out. Thank you!

Answer 1

Almost all school districts in Florida are controlled by the county in which you live. You can go to the Florida Department of Education to find the website of your particular county. This will give you departments and phone numbers to call to request intervention. In Florida, special education is called, Exceptional Student Education.

Each county is required to have a Child Find team, so go to the website, click on the ESE button and try to find that particular department. It could also be called Early Intervention or ESE Pre-k. If you don't have any luck, call the ESE department directly and asked for the appropriate team

Your child has to be three years old to attend ESE Pre-K, though assessments are commonly done at 2.5 years. Even if your child doesn't qualify for ESE Pre-K, he or she is eligible for voluntary Pre-K at age 4.

If for some reason they don't act promptly to assess your child, call the State DOE to complain.