ECSE: Early Childhood Special Education

Location: Ross Elementary

Who is eligible:
Children ages 3 and 4 who demonstrate developmental delays.

How to begin:
Our Child Find Screenings are held three times each school year by appointment only. Screenings help determine eligibility for the program.

To schedule an appointment, please call the Ross Elementary ECSE Developmental Preschool Office at 208-955-0267 during regular business hours.

(See more detailed information below.)

Child Find Screener

The Kuna School District, in cooperation with parents and nonpublic school agencies, engages in Child Find services throughout the school year. Child Find activities are conducted

• to create public awareness of special education programs  
• to advise the public that students who qualify for services have the right to a free appropriate public education and confidentiality protections
• to alert community residents that a process exists for identifying and serving children with disabilities
• given to children from the age of 3 through the semester in which they turn 21. 

The Kuna Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program conducts Child Find Screeners three times a year for children 3 - 5 years of age.  If you know of a child who may have individual needs that result from disabilities or developmental delays, and who is not enrolled in a school program, please contact Ross Elementary, 208-955-0267 or the school district office at 208-922-1000. Proof of residence within the Kuna School District boundaries must be provided for children to participate in the screening process. These children may have difficulty walking, talking, hearing, or learning, or may display behaviors that appear different from other children their age.

The ECSE program uses a nationally standardized screening tool to look at your child’s development in several key areas: thinking and learning (conceptual/cognitive), communication and speech sounds (language and articulation), movement skills (fine and gross motor), self-care abilities (self-help), and social-emotional growth. The screening is completed by Early Childhood Educators and other trained specialists to help determine whether your child may benefit from further evaluation for possible special education services through the Kuna School District.

The evaluation process may include a screening, playgroup and/or assessment appointment, and a team meeting to review assessment results and determine if your child is eligible for special education services and to be placed on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to receive services through the Kuna School District. This process may take up to 60 days to complete and in some cases 90 days.

Services through the ECSE program are based on the child’s needs determined through the evaluation process.  They may receive 1,2,3 or 4 days of attendance in the developmental classroom or through an appointment for service time.  The Developmental Preschool holds two sessions, 4 days a week with each session being 2 hours.  There is a morning session typically for 3-4 year olds and an afternoon session for 4-5 year olds preparing for kindergarten the following fall. 

2025-26 ECSE & School District Calendars