Early Childhood (Birth-3 years old)
Child and Family Connections (CFC) is the agency that screens and evaluates children from birth to age 3 with the goal of providing early intervention services, supporting families in promoting their child's development. Eligibility determinations will be made based on criteria from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA specifies that "infants and toddlers with disabilities" who are experiencing developmental delays in cognitive, physical, communication, social, emotional, and/or adaptive development or have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay.
Contact: (847) 385-5070
For information on procedures and polices, please visit the Illinois Department of Human Services early intervention website.
Ages 2 Years, 8 Months to 5 Years
District 65 provides Child Find developmental screenings for children from ages 2 years 8 months to 5 years. Screenings are done regularly throughout the school year at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center (1500 McDaniel Avenue, Evanston) and throughout the community. Complete the screening request form
Eligibility determinations will be made based on criteria from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For individuals ages 3 to 21 to qualify for services, they must be identified as having a disability in 1 of 13 categories: autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment.
Children from ages 3 to 9 may still be eligible for services if they are identified as having a developmental delay as specified above.
Contact IES Coordinator: Leia Perkins (she/her)
For more information on early childhood programs and services, please visit the Illinois State Board of Education Early Childhood Special Education Services webpage.
Elementary and Middle School (Ages 5 Years to 14 Years)
Screening for students from ages 5 to 14 (kindergarten through eighth grade) is provided at each District 65 school and is available to all students in the district. Any student experiencing educational challenges will receive academic and/or behavioral interventions in the general education classroom through a Response to Intervention (RtI) model in an attempt to address any concerns. Both school staff and parents may make a referral for a full case study evaluation at any point during this intervention process to determine if the student might have a disability hindering progress.
A child with a disability may have a physical, emotional, learning, or behavioral problem that is educationally related and requires special education and related services. Eligibility determinations will be made based on criteria from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) listed above. However, students whose disabilities do not fall in one of these categories may still be eligible for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Contact an Individualized Education Services (IES) member at your child's school. These requests are typically coordinated by the school psychologist. Contact information for IES members by school can be found below. If you are having trouble reaching someone at the school, please contact the Student Services Department at (847) 859-8090.
District 65 contacts:
Assistant Superintendent of Student Specialized Services and Supports
Dr. Corina Herrera (she/her)
Outplacements/Private Parochial
Dr. Emily Chambers (she/her)
Specialized Programs
Liz Leverentz (she/her)
Executive Assistant
Pattie Farias (she/her)
View an overview of the timeline and steps involved for the K-8 referral and eligibility process.
For further information on the K-8 referral and eligibility process, RtI, IDEA or 504 criteria, please visit the Parent Resources section of our website.
