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Drum Rock E.C.C. - 734-3490
 Child
Outreach Coordinator:
Kathryn
Keenan
 VOWS
734-3230
Child Outreach Project Director:
Dolores Hyle
Warwick
Public Schools 734-3050
Special
Services Department
What
Is CHILD OUTREACH?
CHILD OUTREACH is a long established Warwick
School Department program that provides families with
information about their child’s development and offers
information about community resources. It is a free service
that’s offered through a cooperative effort between the
Volunteers of Warwick Schools (VOWS) and the Warwick School
System.
Who
May Receive the Services of CHILD OUTREACH?
All Warwick preschool children between the ages
of 3 and 5 are offered the Preschool Screening (PSS).
Screenings may be conducted at a CHILD OUTREACH Clinic or at the
child’s “home” school before entering kindergarten. This
service is voluntary and requires a parent’s or guardian’s
permission.
What
Is a CHILD OUTREACH Clinic?
A “clinic” is a special time set aside one or two
mornings each month when the development of preschool and
kindergarten aged children may be assessed, at the request of a
parent or guardian or the child’s physician.
Who Conducts the Screening?
Volunteers who have been extensively trained and
certified by the CHILD OUTREACH professional staff and VOWS
gather the information through a series of activities with the
child. If you are interested in being trained to be a Child
Outreach, Vision or Hearing Screener, please complete the tear
off form on page three of this newsletter.
What Do
the Children Do During Their Visit?
Your child will participate in four different
kinds of activities, with different screeners trained and
certified in each of the following:
¨
- Development
- Your child will be doing special activities such as clapping,
hopping, counting, drawing, following directions, identifying
pictures, copying shapes, etc. This shows the child’s learning
skills in a variety of areas: movement, language, thinking,
socialization and behavior.
¨
- Articulation
- In this section, the screener asks your child
to say several words, to check for sounds that are
developmentally appropriate for your child’s age.
¨
-
Vision
- The screener tests your child’s eyes by using an eye chart
like the one you may have seen in your doctor’s office. Your
child does not need to know the alphabet because this screening
is designed for preschool aged children. Each eye is checked
individually and both eyes are checked together.
¨
- Hearing
- Your child’s hearing will be screened through the use of an
Otoacoustical Emission Testing (OAE) device. The OAE
automatically detects your child’s auditory response to
different tones at different levels.
How Are
CHILD OUTREACH Clinic Appointments Scheduled?
During the school year, CHILD OUTREACH Clinic
appointments are scheduled by Nancy Anderson, VOWS’ CHILD
OUTREACH Project Director. Parents or guardians may call Nancy
at 734-3230. Appointments are scheduled in the order that calls
are received.
Where are
CHILD OUTREACH Clinics Held?
CHILD OUTREACH Clinics are held at
Holden Elementary School, 61 Hoxsie Avenue,
Warwick, R.I. 02889
How Often Are CHILD OUTREACH Clinics Held?
Clinics are held once or twice a month on
Wednesday mornings during the school year only. The
tentative schedule for these clinics for the 2009-10 school year
is as follows:
September 9, 16, 23 & 30 2009 October
7 & 12,
2009 November 4 & 18, 2009 December
2 & 16,
2009 January 6 & 20, 2010
February 10 & 245, 2010 March 10
& 24, 2010 April
78 & 28,
2010 May
12 & 26,
2010 June
2, 9 & 16, 2010
Clinics are not held during summer vacation.
However, a concerned parent or guardian may call the CHILD
OUTREACH office at 734-3490 during the summer months and have
their child’s name put on a list to be screened in the fall.
Children are scheduled for screenings at a Clinic in the order
that their parents or guardians have called. (This process
is adhered to for fairness.)
What Role
Does A Parent or Guardian Play?
You will be asked to give your child’s Social
Security number and other necessary information, either before
hand, or on the day of the Clinic. The total appointment time
will take approximately 30-45 minutes. This includes the
screening, vision, hearing and articulation components. You
are expected to wait on the premises during the entire process.
How Does a Parent or Guardian Learn How Their
Child Did on the Test?
When all of the components of the screening are
completed, you and the child are free to leave. A Warwick
Public Schools’ Child Outreach professional will interpret the
results and you will hear back within two to three weeks.
What
Happens to the Information Gathered In This Screening?
The results of the Early Screening Inventory (ESI-R)
are always kept CONFIDENTIAL. VOWS’
volunteers are trained to handle privileged information in the
most appropriate manner, as is ALL Warwick Public
Schools CHILD OUTREACH professional staff. It could be possible
that a child may be referred for additional testing in
the future. |
