Parents with concerns about their young child’s development should take advantage of a free developmental screening or Child Find being offered jointly by the Departments of Health, Education and Human Services, as well as Lutheran Social Services and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. The screenings will be for children from birth to five years old and will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, March 26 at the Sugar Estate Head Start Complex on St. Thomas, the Charles Harwood Medical Complex on St. Croix, and the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John.
The three government departments institute the screenings through early childhood development programs as a part of a federal mandate to locate, identify and evaluate children from birth to two years old who are suspected of having developmental delays or disabilities. Child Find, therefore, has been implemented under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Lutheran Social Services and CFVI were invited this year to partner with the Child Find effort.
The screenings are open to the community free of charge, and the target audience includes parents, guardians or caregivers of young children who have concerns about their child’s development. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the time of the screening.