(Early Childhood Screening)

This program is for children 3- to 5-years-old who have a significant delay in any developmental area (speech/language, fine/gross motor, cognitive skills, social skills, self-help skills). The child must live in the Olathe School District to be eligible.

Early intervention provides the necessary services
to enable children who experience developmental delays
to progress toward the goal of school readiness.

     Serving special education children in the least restrictive environment possible, and allowing them the opportunity to meet their goals, is the focus of the Early Childhood Disability program. Children age 5 and under who are not eligible for kindergarten and who live in the Olathe School District may be screened at no charge to see if they have a potential delay in any of these developmental areas:

     Children 3 and older, who live in the district and are eligible for, and in need of, the early childhood disability services will be provided an appropriate intervention program. These services range from a single related service (speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy) to a focused early childhood special education setting. Intermediate options include community-based early childhood services (Head Start, for example) and an integrated early childhood disability preschool.

     Early childhood disability programs are housed in various district elementary schools and at Heartland and Harmony Early Childhood Centers. Parents pay the annual pre-kindergarten enrollment fee. These programs follow the Olathe School District calendar and follow the district's early childhood curriculum.

For more information about the Early Childhood Disability programs, call Carol Affholder, Early Childhood Administrator at (913) 780-7015.