Independent School District 84 will be offering early childhood screening services to district residents on Tuesday, October 1 at Trinity Lutheran Church basement. Early childhood screening is not used to determine readiness for kindergarten but is designed to detect delays in specific areas early in a child’s development. The sooner the problems can be recognized and referred for further assistance, the better service the child will receive to correct the delay.
Minnesota law requires kindergarten children enrolled in the public school to show evidence of being screened within 30 days of enrollment. The private schools in our district request that screening be completed for students that attend their schools as well.
Early childhood screening is a simple and careful check of the health and development of the child. The areas that are checked are height and weight, vision and hearing, development of speech, language concepts, gross and fine motor skills. A review of immunizations and health history are also included as well as an ages and stages assessment. Children need to wear a pair of tennis shoes to complete the gross motor activity.
Appointments can be made for children who are three and a half and older that may not have participated yet by calling 507-794-7873. A packet of information will be mailed out to those who have appointments.