1. Anyone can call us at 558-4118, or you can call Valley Mountain Regional Center Intake in Modesto at 529-2626, to refer a child under three.
  2. You can download a referral form here and fill it out and fax it to our office at 558-4117.


Obtaining detailed information about the infant and family can begin at different times, depending on the source of referral. For each case, the following steps need to occur to complete the Early Start entry packet that accompanies each initial Individual Family Service Plan(IFSP):
  1. Parental signed consent is obtained to exchange information between agencies.
  2. Parent's signed consent for assessment is obtained.
  3. Telephone or in-person interview of family is conducted by an Early Start Station Evaluation team member to obtain social and health information, as well as begin finding out the family's concerns and hopes.
  4. Pertinent medical records from physcians/hospitals are obtained.

Again, different referral types and sources dictate different evaluation methods.
  1. Paper review: Some infants are refferred with recent and complete developmental assessment information. These cases can often be determined eligible before actually meeting with the family and infant.
  2. Developmental screening: One team member using a brief developmental screening tool or checklist can provide the needed information to the team when either: a) the infant already has a diagnosis associated with delays in development, or b) the infant is developing well, the family is not concerned, and only a confirming "screen-out" is necessary.
  3. Team Evaluation: In the majority of cases, either the child's actual delay is in question, or the family and professionals are in need of specific information about how the child is progressing and what his/her primary needs are. Thus, we typically use a multidisciplinary arena assessment to get an in-depth look at infant functioning and family needs. In most cases, an IFSP meeting is a part of or immediately follows this evaluation.

If a child is found eligible, and the family wants services from California Early Start, an IFSP meeting with the parents takes place within 45 days of referral, either:
  1. at the same time as the evaluation, with team members sharing the writing of the various sections of the IFSP in the presence of the family,
  2. as soon as possible after the determination of eligibility, if parents need more time to consider the services offered and/or other providers need to be consulted,
  3. although parents may request or need a delay in the 45 day timeline for health of family concerns. In this case, a new date to complete the IFSP is scheduled with the team.

Letters are typically sent to the child's primary medical provider, and/or childcare provider, to keep them posted about available services. New referrals to such agencies as Health Services Agency, CCS, Leaps & Bounds of Behavioral Health, and preschool sites such as Headstart, Annear Early Intervention, and Sonoma School are also possible outcomes from the IFSP process.
   

www.earlystartstation.org