Exceptional Student Services

The Exceptional Student Services Department exists to provide support to ALL students who need additional assistance. The Department’s goal is to collaborate with caregivers and school personnel to remove barriers and provide each student with the skills and support they need to thrive and be prepared for their future. We strive to promote high standards of learning and student well-being (in the areas of academic interventions, health, wellness, and social-emotional learning) in partnership with parents, guardians and the community in the Estes Valley.

Elementary Services & Programming

Child Find

The child find process is required in every district. The purpose of Child Find is to evaluate and identify children ages 3 to 21 who may be eligible to receive special education services. The Child Find Assessment Team is a district-level team that provides quality, child-focused screenings and evaluations for children ages 3-5. The Child Find Team may consist of: A Nurse, a Speech Language Pathologist, an Occupational Therapist, a School Psychologist, an Audiologist, and an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Teacher.

Evaluation referrals come from a variety of sources including: Families, community agencies, child care, preschools, medical providers and school staff. The School District of residence for any child ages 3 through 21 is required to “Child Find” students who may have an educational disability as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Evaluations are conducted at no cost to parents, with parent consent and participation. After the evaluation is completed, a meeting is held with parents to determine eligibility for services. If a child is found eligible for services, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be developed by the IEP team, which includes the parent, teacher, and identified special education providers.

Evaluations address the areas of concern for each child. Evaluations are provided in several areas, including but not limited to the following:

Early concepts (birth-5)
Educational skills (PreK-12)
Cognitive functioning
Speech-language skills
Physical development
Social-emotional functioning
Vision and hearing screening

Child Find – Preschool (Ages 3-5)

For children ages three to five (who are not attending a district preschool), developmental screenings and evaluations are provided by a District Child Find Assessment Team at the Estes Park Elementary School. Autism and Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Specialists consult as needed.