University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign

Child Find Project: Screening and Referral

IECAM provides Child Find data including the total number of children screened for disabilities, the number of children who are referred for further evaluation, and the rate of children referred (number referred/number screened).

What is Child Find?

Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that requires states to have a comprehensive system to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all children with disabilities, aged birth to 21, for early intervention or special education services.

  • Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth through age 2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C.
  • Children and youth (ages 3–21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.
IECAM has been working with the Child Find Project in Illinois to develop maps based on collected data. These data include the total number of children screened for disabilities, the number of children who are referred for further evaluation, and the rate of children referred (number referred/number screened).

Download the maps

Below are the most recent maps showing Child and Family Connection (CFC) region and ZIP code-level data. They show the total number of children birth through 5 screened, the number referred, and percent referred of those screened for the given period.

About the data

Child and Family Connections (CFC) are the regional intake agencies for children and families to enter the Illinois early intervention system. There are 25 CFC regions in the state, each being responsible for a specific geographic area. Cook County has seven CFC agencies that are broken down by ZIP code to determine the geographic area served. More information can be found on the Child & Family Connections website. The Illinois Department of Human Services also provides a listing of CFCs.

“Q” refers to quarters, three-month time periods, with the first quarter beginning July 1 of each year.

Additional resources

In Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education is the lead agency for preschool special education IDEA Part B services, and the Illinois Department of Human Services is the lead agency for IDEA Part C services, or early intervention. The Child Find Project is funded entirely by federal IDEA Part B discretionary funds.