8.4.0.3: Determination of Eligibility for Special Services

The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP) and any other plans for special services should be developed for children identified as eligible in collaboration with the family, representatives from disciplines and organizations involved with the child and family, the child’s primary care provider, and the staff of the facility, depending on the family’s wishes, the agency’s resources, and state laws and regulations.

RATIONALE

For the IFSP, IEP, or any other needed or required special service plan to provide systematic guidance of the child’s developmental achievement and to promote efficient service delivery, service providers from all of the involved disciplines/settings must be familiar with the overall multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary plans and work toward the same goals for the child. To be optimally effective, one comprehensive IFSP or IEP is developed and one service or care coordinator is designated to oversee implementation of the plan. If the parents/guardians choose to involve them, the caregivers/teachers should be partners in developing and implementing the IFSP or IEP to obtain the best possible evaluation and plan for the child with a disability within the child care facility.

COMMENTS

Development and implementation of the IFSP or IEP is a team effort. The various aspects of planning include the input of the child care program in which the child is enrolled in the evaluation for eligibility for Part B or C, the development of IFSP/IEP, and the child care program’s role in implementation. Components of the IFSP or IEP may include elements developed to meet service needs developed elsewhere, when applicable in the child care setting.

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

RELATED STANDARDS

8.5.0.1 Coordinating and Documenting Services
10.3.4.5 Resources for Parents/Guardians of Children with Special Health Care Needs
10.3.4.6 Compensation for Participation in Multidisciplinary Assessments for Children with Special Health Care or Education Needs