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. Preschool When identified as having a disability, the children are provided services based upon the requirements of the IEP. A preschool child may be served in the preschool program for children with developmental delays if he/she is identified as exhibiting a twenty-five percent 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

Other services such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy are provided within the preschool 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 such as a speech/language and/or developmental delay, the first step in the process is to contact the Preschool Assessment Center to "refer" the child for an informational screening. A child can be "referred" by a parent, doctor, case manager, teacher, speech pathologist, or any other concerned party. A referral can be made by calling the Preschool Assessment Center directly or by mailing test information and other paperwork to the Center. 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 on the Center's answering machine any time after office hours. The Preschool Assessment Center staff will schedule a special education committee screening meeting within ten (10) administrative working days of the initial referral. At the screening meeting, information will be shared and any concerns discussed in order to determine if further testing may be needed. 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 to meet 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.