What is Early Childhood Screening?
Richton Square School, Matteson School District 162, screens children in the areas of pre-academic skills. In addition to vision and hearing screenings, the screening team uses the Development Indicators for the Assessment of Learning- Fourth Edition (DIAL-4) to briefly assess children's developmental skills (concepts, fine and gross motor skills, and communication). If you suspect that your child is experiencing one or more delays in her or his development, please contact us to discuss this further.
When should I schedule an Early Childhood Screening?
The Early Childhood Screening should take place prior to entry into the Preschool For All and Preschool For All Expansion Programs. It is best to do so between the ages of three and four so that any health or developmental concerns can be addressed sooner.
How do I schedule an Early Childhood Screening?
Early childhood screenings are conducted throughout the year (September 1st, 2023, October 13th, 2023, March 1st, 2024, and May 3rd, 2024). You may contact Richton Square School at 708-283-2706, for more information when your child is about to turn three.
What happens during an Early Childhood Screening?
Early Childhood Screening checks your child’s health and development. Screening in school districts is usually done by a teacher, school psychologist, speech/language pathologist, or other educator professionals. A screening includes a review of vision, hearing, speech, social and emotional progress, and overall development.
Covers just a few items in each of the developmental domains (cognition, fine and gross motor, speech and language, and social-emotional). The items are based on typical developmental milestones for the child’s age level. For example, a fine-motor screening task for a 3-year-old may include holding a crayon and drawing a line on paper.
Can take place only if a child’s parent or guardian gives written consent.
Involve parents in answering interview questions and filling out a written survey about their child’s development.
Usually takes 45-50 minutes to complete.
What if my child does not speak English?
If your child does not speak English, inform the school that you will need an interpreter. When a child is learning two languages, it is better to screen in the language most often heard and spoken in the home. Screeners may also screen in both English and in the child’s home language with an interpreter, since as children learn two languages they have different strengths in both languages.
What happens after an Early Childhood Screening?
The Preschool for All team takes into consideration all developmental and environmental factors prior to determining eligibility, this process takes about 2-3 weeks after the screening has been completed.
Once eligibility has been determined, the team will mail correspondence to the child’s parent/guardian.
Your child will be invited to enroll in the program base on available slots, if there are no available slots your child will be placed on our waiting list.
When an opening becomes available parents/guardians will be contacted and provided registration information.
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
Richton Square School S.D. #162 is conducting Preschool Screenings for children ages 3-5. A screening is a brief assessment of how your child is learning and growing.