Exceptional Children

An effort coordinated by our local school system and the Exceptional Children Division, State Department of Public Instruction, to:

• Locate and identify children and youth ages birth through 21 with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services
• Inform parents and/or guardians of the services available from their local school system and other state and community agencies.

Children and youth who have been diagnosed or are suspected to have intellectual, physical, or emotional disabilities and are unable to benefit from a regular school program without special assistance.

• A complete evaluation and, if appropriate, 
• An Individualized Education Program for children with a disability beginning at age three,
• An Individual Family Service Plan for each child with a disability birth through 2, or
• A referral to other agencies when needed.

Bladen County Schools (CCS) employees and staff are responsible for ensuring that the district identifies, locates, and evaluates all children residing in our district with disabilities who may be in need of special education and related services. This includes all children ages 3 to 21 who:

• attend public or private schools;
• are home schooled; and/or
• are homeless or wards of the state.

Child find activities implemented in BCS include screening and general education intervention.  

A screening process, which may lead to a more comprehensive assessment for children ages 3 through 5, is provided through the system's Pre-K Exceptional Children's Department, which is located in the Bladen County Schools, 1489 Hwy. 701 S., Elizabethtown Primary School Please contact Brooke McMichael, EC Pre-K Coordinator at bsmichael@bladne.k12.ncus  or Phone: (910) 862-4136 ext. 10010.

A general education intervention process for children in kindergarten through grade 12 is provided at each school site by the school's Student Support Team (SST). These teams work on behalf of children who are experiencing academic, behavioral/emotional, functional, or medical concerns that may be significantly impacting their access to the general education curriculum or school activities. These teams work with families and school staff to develop plans that support students' needs so that they can be successful in the general education curriculum and school setting. While working with students, the teams collect data which is then used to determine if a student may need to be referred for a comprehensive evaluation. Parents must be provided with notice of their child's referral to the Student Support Team (SST).

For further information regarding Child Find or if you suspect your child may have a disability and need special education and/or related services, please contact Cheryl White-Smith,  EC Director, at (910) 862-4136 ext. 10022 or cwsmith@bladen.k12.nc.us.

• Child Find from NC Department of Public Instruction
• Child Find Poster
• Click here for the Office of Early Learning

Children who may be in need of these services are referred to the school system. Referrals (notification of possible need) can be received through various sources which include but are not limited to: doctors, teachers, daycares, agencies, and parents. A referral is made by simply notifying the school system of possible delay concerns. A referral is accepted in writing, by call or email.

Once a referral is made, the Exceptional Children's PreK Coordinator will schedule a mutually convenient meeting to address concerns and determine what actions are needed. As a team at that meeting, it may be decided that further information gathered by various evaluations is needed to determine if a delay is present and requires specially designed instruction. The team may also determine that testing is not needed based on information presented at the time of the meeting meaning no delay is suspected or there may be enough existing data present to make a determination (if the referral source (ex: parent) has outside data/evaluations that meets all criteria).  

Once the referral process is complete, if a child qualifies for services with the Exceptional Children's program based on criteria set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the team will work together to create an individualized education plan to address all determined needs.

The Exceptional Children's Pre-K program provides special education services for children as indicated on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Children can be eligible for these services beginning at age 3. This program is separate from the Bladen County Schools Pre-K program and only serves children who have been determined to display developmental delays and require specially designed instruction. This specially designed instruction may be provided on a continuum of services that may be at home, in daycare, or through the school.  Children who are four years of age by August 31 are eligible to apply to the Bladen County Schools Pre-K program through a different process. 

Call our main office (910) 862-4136, ext. 10030. We will meet with you and make the necessary arrangements to obtain your child's Exceptional Children's file from the state or county you which you have moved and determine the appropriate special education services that your child that qualifies under NC Guidelines.

The Department of Early Learning uses evidence-based curricula in order to teach North Carolina's Foundations of Early Learning Standards.

• Foundations for Families
• Fundamentos para Familias

The SEFEL pyramid model is designed to promote positive social and emotional development and decrease challenging behaviors in the classroom. The model is a hierarchy approach, designed with three tiers to make sure the social-emotional needs of every student are met. 

• NC Early Learning Network
• Technical Assistance Center on Emotional Intervention (TACSEI)
• Center on the Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learning

The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills. It is designed to help educators at all levels of experience plan and implement a developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.

• Creative Curriculum