Early Intervention and Referral

The teachers and administrators at Fort Hill value the diverse needs of all children and provide early intervention strategies to support children’s individual development. We maintain collaborative relationships with the local public schools, early intervention programs, individual consultants, and other resources to support children and families.

Confidentiality

Teachers maintain confidentiality about children’s development. They discuss concerns with parents during private conversations away from children and other adults. All written reports are confidential and are only available to the child’s parents and school staff. Parents must sign a written release before any information can be shared with consultants or other agencies.

Protocol

Supervising teachers communicate concerns about individual children’s development to the director when they arise and continue to update the director regularly about the child’s progress.

When a staff member has concerns about a child, she follows the protocol described below.

• Teachers document observations of the child.
• The supervising teacher asks the director to observe the child and meet with the child’s teachers.
• The team develops classroom strategies to support the child, documents the plan and the subsequent ongoing impact of the plan, and places a copy in the child’s file.
• If concerns persist, the supervising teacher arranges a conference with parents.  The director may attend this meeting.  The meeting is documented and a copy placed in the child’s file.
• During the conference the team may make a recommendation to the director to schedule a meeting or screening with a consulting psychologist or other school staff.  The consultant then observes the child in school.
• After the consultant observes the child, s/he meets with staff to discuss the observation and make recommendations.  These recommendations may include referring the child for further evaluation through the special education department of the public schools (children 3+ years), REACH (an early intervention agency for children under 3 years), or private professionals.
• This meeting is documented and a copy placed in the child’s file.
• A plan of intervention is developed in consultation with the consultant, teachers, and parents and documented by the consultant or by the supervising teacher.
• The initial observation and conference with the consultant is funded by the CECE.  Any further evaluation and/or treatment is the responsibility of the parents.
• If a referral is made to the public schools, outside agency or specialist, the teachers and director communicate regularly with specialists and attend evaluation meetings.  If a child receives services such as physical or occupational therapy, we welcome service delivery at school.
• If the parents choose not to participate in the evaluation or treatment plan, the director reserves the right to deny the family further participation in the school’s programs.  (See Termination Process Policy).

Provision of Services at CECE

When a child is referred for services, Fort Hill staff collaborate with outside consultants and agencies to best meet the needs of the child. If a child receives services from an external provider at Fort Hill, the provider must meet with the director and sign a contract approved by Smith College. The parents must sign a Consent to permit Fort Hill staff to share information with the provider.