8 Colo. Code Regs. § 1404-1-4.112

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 1, January 10, 2025

Section 8 CCR 1404-1-4.112 - HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS

A. Beginning July 1, 2025, and continuing thereafter, eligible preschool providers must meet the following requirements as a condition of participating in the Preschool Program:

1. Within six (6) months of participating in the Preschool Program, eligible preschool providers must create, make publicly available and to the Department (either on the provider's website or in a handbook distributed to all participating families), and implement policies and procedures to administer the following services in an individualized manner taking into account what other services the child has received:

a. Voluntary developmental screening services (including vision, hearing, dental, and health as well as fine and gross motor, social-emotional, cognitive, and language);

b. Referrals for children and families seeking specialized services, upon request; and

c. Translation services for children and families to access information in their home language.

2. The Department shall ensure that the assessments, tools, and related resources that meet the requirements of this rule section 4.112(A)(1), and are included in the Resource Bank and will be considered and reviewed in accordance with sections 26.5-4-205(3)(b) and (c), C.R.S.

3. Eligible preschool providers will be responsible for ensuring the development of the policies and procedures as outlined in this rule section 4.112(A)(1), as well as ensuring family access to the screening services, referral processes, and translation services as described in this rule section 4.112(A)(1). The entity or individual actually conducting the screening services, referral processes, and/or translation services, are responsible for ensuring that those services are conducted using valid and reliable methods as described in this rule section 4.112(A)(4), and are included in the Resource Bank as described in this rule section 4.112(A)(2).

4. Any screening services, referral processes, or translation services administered, when appropriate, pursuant to this rule section 4.112(A)(1), must be conducted using valid and reliable screening tools and other related resources that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate, and must:

a. Require, when appropriate, the screening services to be offered or coordinated within forty-five (45) calendar days of when a child first attends the eligible preschool provider;

b. Entail the use of research-based developmental standardized screening tools;

c. Meaningfully incorporate other information from family members, teachers, or other individuals with familiarity with the child's typical behavior;

d. Be tailored and conducted in a manner which promotes and allows for individualized usable information;

e. When involving a child suspected to need specialized instruction, the provider must comply with all Child Find referral procedures established by the Department of Education and refer the family to the Child Find contact in the child's administrative unit of residence; and

f. Ensure that participating children and families have a pathway to access early childhood mental health programs.

5. All eligible preschool providers must notify families of the opportunity to participate in an annual survey of families' experiences in regard to screening, referral, and early childhood mental health best practices to be conducted by the Department.

8 CCR 1404-1-4.112

47 CR 08, April 25, 2024, effective 5/15/2024