(a) The lead agency, in coordination with the participating agencies and in consultation with the council, shall establish and maintain a state-wide birth-to-three system of early intervention services pursuant to Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1431 et seq., for eligible children and families of such children.

(b) The state-wide system shall include a system for compiling data on the number of eligible children in the state in need of appropriate early intervention services, the number of such eligible children and their families served, the types of services provided and other information as deemed necessary by the lead agency.

(c) The state-wide system shall include a comprehensive child-find system and public awareness program to ensure that eligible children are identified, located, referred to the system and evaluated. The following persons and entities, as soon as possible but not later than seven calendar days after identifying a child from birth to three years of age suspected of having a developmental delay or of being at risk of having a developmental delay, shall refer the parent of such child to the early intervention system unless the person knows the child has already been referred: (1) Hospitals; (2) child health care providers; (3) local school districts; (4) public health facilities; (5) early intervention service providers; (6) participating agencies; and (7) such other social service and health care agencies and providers as the commissioner specifies in regulation.

(d) The commissioner, in coordination with the participating agencies and in consultation with the council, shall adopt regulations, pursuant to chapter 54, to carry out the provisions of section 17a-248 and sections 17a-248b to 17a-248g, inclusive, 38a-490a and 38a-516a.

(e) The state-wide system shall include a system for required notification to any local or regional school board of education no later than January first of each year of any child who resides in the local or regional school district, participates in the state-wide program and will attain the age of three during the next fiscal year. Such system of notification shall include provisions for preserving the confidentiality of such child and of the parent or guardian of such child.

(P.A. 96-185, S. 2, 16; P.A. 00-27, S. 4, 24; P.A. 03-174, S. 13; P.A. 04-54, S. 7; P.A. 10-93, S. 3; P.A. 13-20, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 96-185 effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 00-27 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (d), effective May 1, 2000; P.A. 03-174 added Subsec. (e) re notification to school boards; P.A. 04-54 amended Subsec. (e) to add provision requiring that notification to school board preserve confidentiality of child and parent or guardian of child, effective May 4, 2004; P.A. 10-93 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting “Part C” for “Part H” and substituting “20 USC 1431” for “20 USC 1471”; P.A. 13-20 amended Subsec. (c) by changing provision re time for referral to early intervention system from within 2 working days to as soon as possible but not later than 7 calendar days after identification.