The Early Childhood Special Education program provides services to 3-5-year-old children with unique educational needs.  Children receiving services through the program have been identified as meeting criteria in one or more areas of disability. 

The program offers a full continuum of services that include a site-based program with children attending sessions in their community school and receiving related services as determined by the IEP team. The program addresses student service needs in including academic, speech/language, and others. The Early Learning Special Education teacher and service providers work with teams to provide services in the least restrictive environment as determined appropriate by the IEP team. 

To identify students between the ages of 3 to 5 who have a disability, the Northern Plains Special Education Unit holds screenings one to two times a year in each school community of Divide County, Burke Central, Bowbells, Powers Lake and Stanley. These are often in the early fall, and early spring.

Screenings are completed based on the following areas:

• Speech/language,

• Cognition,

• General development,

• Social/emotional,

• Fine and gross motor skills,

• Vision,

• Hearing.

If you have questions about the screenings or have a child you would like to refer to the screening, please contact your local school. Our schools and Early Learning Coordinator look forward to visiting with you.

Meet Traci Bakken our Early Learning Coordinator and Teacher.

Did You Know?: 95% of brain development occurs before the age of five? *

Early childhood matters! That is why the department created the Early Childhood Division in July 2021 to align and focus programs and resources on a key department priority: early childhood experiences.

Check out the link below to learn more:

ND Health and Human Services Early Childhood Resources