The Early Childhood Special Education program in Fort Zumwalt School District offers a range of services characterized by a transdisciplinary, play-based approach. Children with special needs begin their services on their third birthday. We provide services in a variety of settings based on the child's special education needs. The decisions for services and placement are made by the Individual Education Program (IEP) team, which includes school staff and the parents/guardians.

Our continuum of services includes therapies on an appointment basis, service provision in a community setting, and Early Childhood Special Education classrooms with typically developing peers. We also have Early Childhood Special Education classes designed for young children with significant delays.

Early intervention is critical for children who have developmental delays. The Fort Zumwalt School District provides Early Childhood programs for children ages 3, 4, and 5 (if not eligible for kindergarten) who meet the eligibility requirements for Special Education. The school staff and parents work together to determine how to best meet a child's needs.

Fort Zumwalt ECSE service delivery models for children 3-5 (not kindergarten eligible) include:

• Itinerant services for speech, occupational, or physical therapy

• Community based services (limited to district boundaries)

• Early Childhood Special Education classrooms (1/2 day -4 days a week)

Eligibility for services is determined through screening and special education evaluation. 

Children are referred to Early Childhood Special Education either through the Parents as Teachers program or First Steps, a federal early-intervention program for children from birth to age 3 years. In addition, parents can make a referral. After a referral is reviewed and a disability is suspected, an the child is evaluated by the Fort Zumwalt Diagnostics team. If it is determined that the child qualifies for special education services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is written. 
If you are moving into Fort Zumwalt School District and have a preschool child with an active IEP, contact Laura Bender, ECSE Process Coordinator at (636) 474-8038.

The Fort Zumwalt School District offers FREE developmental screenings for children ages birth to 5 through our Parent as Teachers programs. If you have a concern about your child's development and would like to schedule an appointment, please contact: Debbie Morris, Secretary for Parents as Teachers at (636) 474-8069.

An IEP – or Individualized Education Program – is a term used to describe the official documentation of special education services that will be provided for your child as well as the meeting where these services are determined. Here are some key points to help you become more familiar with an IEP:

• A meeting where parents, students when appropriate, and school personnel jointly make decisions about an educational program for a student with a disability

• A document that is a written record of the decisions reached at the meeting for a student who will receive special education and related services

• A management tool used to implement an educational program

• The IEP meeting serves as a communication opportunity between parents and educators and enables them, as equal participants, to jointly decide what the student’s needs are, what services will be provided to meet those needs, and what the anticipated outcomes may be.

• The IEP process provides an opportunity for resolving any differences between the parents and the school concerning the special education needs of a student with a disability – first, through the IEP meeting, and second, if necessary, through the procedural protections that are available to parents.

• The IEP sets forth in writing a commitment to provide services and resources necessary to enable a student with a disability to receive needed special education services.

• The IEP is not a daily lesson plan, but it does cover an entire year.

• The IEP is not an evaluation report. An evaluation report describes your child’s strengths and needs. The information from an evaluation report is used to help write the IEP.

• The IEP is not a contract. It does describe things you and the school have agreed to do for your child, but it cannot guarantee that all the special help will be successful.

• The IEP is not a comprehensive curriculum. It relates to special considerations within your child’s overall education.

• The IEP is not timeless. As your child grows and learns and changes, the IEP will need to reflect these changes.