Preschool Assessment Center

The Virginia Beach City Public Schools Preschool Assessment Center provides screening, testing and program planning for children between two and five years of age who are suspected of having a disability. All children suspected of having a disability are screened, assessed, and determined eligible, or ineligible, for special education services. When identified as having a disability, the children are provided services based upon the requirements of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). A preschool child may be served in the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program for children with developmental delays if they are identified as having a significant delay in at least one of the following developmental areas:

• Cognitive skills - knowing, understanding
• Fine motor skills - holding objects, drawing, writing
• Gross motor skills - hopping, skipping, jumping, walking
• Self-help/personal-social skills - toileting, feeding, dressing, sharing
• Communication- receptive and expressive language, articulation

Other services such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy are provided within the ECSE program as required to meet an individual child's educational needs. There are a variety of service delivery models available for children with developmental delays.

If you suspect that a child has a disability, the first step in the process is to contact the Preschool Assessment Center to make a referral. A parent, doctor, case manager, teacher, speech pathologist, or any other concerned party can make a referral by calling the Preschool Assessment Center directly. Phone calls can be made during regular business hours Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. or, if necessary a message can be left  any time after office hours. A special education committee (SEC) meeting will be scheduled within ten (10) administrative working days following the receipt of the referral. In this meeting, the team will review all available information and discuss concerns to determine the suspicion of an educational disability. If the child is referred for a comprehensive assessment, the Preschool Assessment Center has sixty-five (65) administrative working days to complete all testing components and determine whether or not the child is eligible for special education services. However, further testing can only be initiated after obtaining the parents' written consent.

When a child is found eligible for special education services, the Preschool Assessment Center staff will work with the parents and the serving school to develop an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) to meet the child's specific needs. All confidential information is forwarded to the serving school.