Child Outreach Screening
Is a FREE service offered to ALL children 3 to 5
year olds. The Warwick Public Schools, in cooperation with the Volunteers of Warwick Schools (VOWS), conducts regular preschool screening clinics through our Child Outreach Clinics. All Warwick preschool children between the ages of 3 and 5 are offered screenings in general development, speech and language, vision and hearing. Parents participate by sharing information about their children’s social and emotional development.
This is a free service provided by the Warwick Public Schools. Participation in a clinic is voluntary and requires the written permission of a parent or guardian. Child Outreach Developmental Screening is a long established program of the Warwick Public Schools that provides families with information about their child’s development and offers information about community resources. Clinics are held every other Friday at WELC (Warwick Early Learning Center).
What are the goals of Child Outreach?
Child Outreach provides information about your child’s development and resources that are available within your community.
POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Child Outreach can help identify children who may need further assessment, intervention and/or services at an early age to promote positive outcomes in kindergarten and beyond.
What does screening involve?
Child Outreach provides a brief assessment in five
areas of development:
The information about your child’s development is gathered in two ways:
FIRST
Your child will participate for about 45 minutes in game-like activities conducted by trained personnel from the public school system. You are always welcome to join your child as he/she participates in the screening activities.
SECOND
You will complete brief family questionnaires about your child’s health history and his/her development as observed at home in everyday activities.
• Vision
• Hearing
• Speech and Language Skills
• Social/Emotional Development
• General Development, such as gross and fine motor skills, memory, etc.
What if my child speaks and understands a language other than English?
If your child communicates in a language other than English, Child Outreach (CO) makes every effort to screen your child and communicate with you in your dominant language. Screening is not an assessment of your child’s English language ability, but rather a snapshot of your child’s development. Screening in your child’s dominant language provides the most accurate picture of how your child is growing and learning. Please notify coordinator prior to the screening so that a bilingual screener or interpreter can be made available in your primary language.
Why should I participate?
Often, families have questions about their child’s growth and development. Child Outreach can help you understand how your child is progressing and learn ways to continue to support his/her development.
When should my child
participate in screening?
Much like your well child visit with the pediatrician, children should participate in screening annually at 3, 4 and 5 years old. Because children learn rapidly during these early years, each screening provides families with an up-to-date check on their child’s development.
How do I arrange screening
for my child? For more information, or to arrange a clinic appointment for your reschool aged child, call the VOWS Office at 921-0597.