The first five years of life are critical. The sooner a delay or disability is caught; the sooner families can be connected with services and support that make a real difference. The Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County is committed to providing and coordinating child screening services to support the development of children in Osceola County during these critical first five years.

DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING

The Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County coordinates with child care providers to screen the development of every child enrolled in the School Readiness program.
We screen development in 5 areas upon enrollment in the program: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal-social skills.
Developmental screening allows the child care provider and family to see if a child is on track developmentally or if they may require additional assessment or support. Additional screening is provided annually during the month of their birthday, and if a possible delay or concern is detected, the Coalition will provide your family with referrals for additional screening or assessment.

VISION SCREENING

The Coalition completes a vision screening on any child whose developmental screening results are below the cutoff as well as whenever there is a concern form the family or child care provider. The vision screening is a quick, easy and child friendly screening that is completed at the child care facility by the Coalitions Early Intervention Specialist. Screening results can be printed immediately after the screening and shared with families.
If the screening produces a “refer” result, the Early Intervention Specialist will recommend that the parent contact the child’s primary health provider for more comprehensive testing, as well as provide additional community resources related to vision assessment.

HEARING SCREENING

The Coalition will complete a hearing screening on any child whose developmental screening results are below the cutoff as well as whenever there is a hearing concern from the family or child care provider. The hearing screening only takes a few minutes and is completed by placing a small probe in the child’s ear which measures the echo in the inner ear. The results are displayed by either “pass” or “refer” and can be printed immediately after the screening and shared with families.
If the screening produces a “refer” result, the Early Intervention Specialist will recommend that the parent contact the child’s primary health provider for more comprehensive testing, as well as provide additional community resources related to hearing assessment.