What is Early Childhood Screening?

According to MN Statue 121A.17 Early Childhood Screening is required of ALL children prior to entrance of kindergarten. This differs from a full evaluation for special education. 

Screening is a procedure used to identify potential health or developmental problems. Screening takes approximately one hour.

The screening includes: 

• a review of the child's developmental history and any parental concerns.

• a developmental screening which looks at your child's motor, language and cogntive skills.  The child will work with the screener to manipulate blocks and toys, look at pictures and answer questions.  

• a social/emotional questionaire, which the parents will be asked to fill out.  

• a reivew of the child's health history, including immunization review and current height and weight

• vision and hearing screening

So if screening is needed before kindergarten, my child should be screened the year before I'm sending him/her to school?  

Not so!  Screening is most valuable for three-four year olds. 

Won't my child score better if he/she is older?  

No, Scoring is based on the child's age at the time of the screening.  Expectations for the screening is different at ages 3,4,5, so being older does not give them an advantage.  Instead, by waiting, your child may miss out on one to two years of early childhood services that could make a huge impact on their school success.

What if my child doesn't do well on the screening?  

 If a child has difficulties at screening they may be referred for a full evaluation to look deeper at current skill levels and needs. Referrals are also made for vision, hearing and medical concerns. Catching delays early and providing intervention can benefit children in later years.

How do I ge my child scheduled for a screening?  

Each local school district schedules screenings for children between the ages of 3 ½ and 4 ½ that reside in their district.  See the listing at the right for your district's contact.