Know me for my abilities, not my disability.
– Robert M. Hensel

Since 1972, Congress has assured that Head Start programs are fully inclusive, requiring that at least 10% of the children served at Head Start are children with disabilities. Child Inc values and respects families in their diversity and recognizes the rights of children with differing abilities to be included as full members of the community.

Child Inc serves children with disabilities in all of our program options. Children with disabilities receive all of the comprehensive Head Start services. In addition, Child Inc staff collaborate with community agencies and school districts to provide extra services to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. We provide services to enrolled children with one or more of these conditions:

  • Blindness or visual impairments
  • Deafness or hearing impairments
  • Physical disabilities
  • Speech and language impairments
  • Health impairments
  • Developmental delays
  • Autism
  • Serious emotional disturbances
  • Specific learning disabilities

All children are welcome at Child Inc Head Start and Early Head Start. We are committed to working with parents and other professionals to ensure that programming will accommodate children’s identified needs. We will:

  • Screen children to see if they are where they should be developmentally
  • Provide focused interventions to help children work to their highest abilities and help determine if a referral to Birth to Three programs or school district services are appropriate.
  • Work with parents to make a referral to Birth to Three programs or local school districts to investigate whether or not children may be eligible for more support to meet their identified needs, if/when staff and parents think there may be a concern.
  • Provide instruction that will support children in meeting their Individual Family Service Plan goals (if receiving Birth to Three services), and Individual Education Plan goals (if receiving services from the school district).