About HOPE Academies

Child Find

Child Find – A Search for All Children with Disabilities

What Is Child Find?
Child Find is the process of identifying, locating, and evaluating children with disabilities who may be in need of special education and related services.

Why Is There Child Find?
Both state and local education agencies are given the responsibility by federal and state laws to conduct child find activities so that children who need special services have the opportunity to receive those services.

What Is the Purpose of Child Find?

  • To promote public awareness of disabilities
  • To alert parents, professionals, and the public to children who may have special needs
  • To assist school districts in finding children who may have disabilities and who otherwise may not have come to their attention
  • To enable children and families to receive the special education and related services that are needed

What Does a Disability Mean?
For age Birth to 3 — An established condition known to result in delay, or a documented developmental delay.

For ages 3 through 5 — A documented deficit in one or more of the following developmental areas: communication, vision, hearing, motor skills, social emotional/behavioral functioning, self-help skills, and/or cognitive skills

For ages 5 through 21 — Identification of one or more of the following conditions: autism, deaf-blindness, hearing impairment including deafness, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment or other health impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and/or visual impairment including blindness.

Who Can Help?
Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, and concerned citizens are used to help school districts find any child, age birth through 21, who may have a disability and need special education and related services. If you are aware of a child who may have special needs, please notify his/her school district. Schools can do their job better with your help.

What Happens Next?
The school district will contact the parents of the child to find out if the child needs to be evaluated. Free testing is available to families to determine whether or not a special need exists. If a need is identified, the child can begin receiving the appropriate special education and related services.

If you know a child who may have special needs, help is available. Call your local school district or your area special education regional resource center (SERRC).

Central Ohio SERRC
614-262-4545
Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Pickaway, Union

Cuyahoga SERRC
440-885-2685
Cuyahoga

East Central Ohio SERRC
330-343-3355
Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Muskingum, Noble, Tuscarawas

East Shore SERRC
440-256-8483
Geauga, Lake

Hopewell SERRC
937-393-1904
Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette, Highland

Lincoln Way SERRC
330-875-2423
Columbiana, Stark, Wayne

Miami Valley SERRC
937-236-9965
Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble

Mid-Eastern Ohio SERRC
330-929-6634
Medina, Portage, Summit

North Central Ohio SERRC
419-747-4808
Ashland, Crawford, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Wyandot

North East Ohio SERRC
330-394-0310
Ashtabula, Mahoning, Trumbull

Northern Ohio SERRC
440-967-8355
Erie, Huron, Lorain

Northwest Ohio SERRC
419-833-6771
Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood

Pilasco-Ross SERRC
740-354-4526
Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto

Southeastern Ohio SERRC
740-594-4235
Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Vinton, Washington

Southwestern Ohio SERRC
513-563-0045
Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, Warren

West Central Ohio SERRC
419-738-9224
Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Hardin, Logan, Mercer, Shelby

 

 



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The HOPE Academies and Riverside Academy are community schools established under Chapter 3314 of the Revised Code. These schools are public schools and students enrolled in and attending the schools are required to take proficiency tests and other examinations prescribed by law. In addition, there may be other requirements for students at the schools that are prescribed by law. Students who have been excused from the compulsory attendance law for the purpose of home education as defined by the Administrative Code shall no longer be excused for that purpose upon their enrollment in a community school. For more information about this matter contact the school administration or the Ohio Department of Education.