All Providence residents are screened by the Child Outreach branch of the Providence School Department for vision, hearing, developmental, and speech language delays. Students who do not pass the screening are re-screened a month later. If a student still indicates a weakness, a complete evaluation is performed by the School Department and, if needed, the child receiving servicing.
When a child appears to be having difficulty in a certain area or is not achieving academic success, a referral is made to the administration. After engaging the child in a complete educational evaluation, the administrative and resource team meets with the parents and the appropriate teachers to share information and data from the evaluation. A plan of action is then formulated to give the child the support necessary for success. Members of the Providence School Department's special needs staff conduct individualized classes or work with small groups to meet the students’ needs. This service is available to non-Providence residents with an existent IEP from their home district. The Providence School Department staff includes early childhood specialists in the areas of speech, language and educational resource.
