Child Find

Education for Every Child

Metro Nashville Public Schools, in compliance with federal and state law, performs a countywide Child Find. Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) that requires school districts to identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 who need early intervention services or special education services. It is a continuous process of public awareness activities, screenings, and evaluations to locate, identify, and refer children as early as possible.

There are two types of screening. The first is a general screening of preschool age children throughout the school year. The other type of screening is for school-aged children. A child can be referred for screening by school personnel, the family and/or individuals in the county (physicians, childcare providers, etc.) This should be done any time it is suspected that a child has a disability.

Who Do I Contact?

• If your child is enrolled in Metro Nashville Public Schools, report your concerns to your child’s teacher or principal and they will discuss the next steps of the MTSS process.

• If your child is an infant or toddler under the age of 2.5 years, then contact Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) at (800) 852-7157 or the Greater Nashville office at (615) 532-7237.
• If your child is between the ages of three and five and you are a resident of Davidson County call the early childhood office at (615)687-4551.
• If your child is home-schooled or attending a private school in the geographic region of the Metro Nashville Public Schools, please contact the principal of your child’s school of zone. The federal law of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires each school district to spend a proportionate amount of federal allocation for services for students with special needs enrolled by parents in home school or private school each year.