Kern County SELPA

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Preschool: Programs for Children Ages 3-5

Preschool programs are provided by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office to children that have a disability in one or more of the following areas:

• speech and language delays
• cognitive delays
• physical/orthopedic
• visual impairments
• deafness
• hard of hearing
• emotional disturbance
• traumatic brain injury
• autism
• deaf and blindness
• multiple disabilities

Services are provided in preschool settings, special classes, at public school settings, and in special centers. Children receive services from specially trained teachers and specialists with expertise about the disability and strategies to help the student make progress in learning. After an assessment, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is provided to the student that identifies the program and services for the student. If you know a preschool child with a need for special interventions, a referral may be made by calling Search and Serve.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Questions to Ask about a Preschool
• Turning Three Years Old: Transitioning from Early Start into the Preschool Years Handbook
• Early Childhood Special Education Series
• A Parent's Guide To Accessing Programs For Infant, Toddlers, and Preschoolers With Disabilities
  
• Child Care for Children with Special Needs

SERVICE AGENCIES/ORGANIZATIONS

• Claude W. Richardson Child Development Center
  The Richardson Center is a preschool educational setting in Bakersfield which provides a variety of educational and support services for children from birth to 5 years of age. Direct services are provided to high risk infants, preschool aged children with special needs, and full-day child development services for students from families that meet program eligibility requirements. For more information, please call 661.336.5400
• Head Start programs
• Kern County Department of Mental Health
• H.E.A.R.T.S Connection
• Kern Regional Center
• California Children Services

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