Early Childhood Resource Center

What is an Early Childhood Resource Center?
The Early Childhood Resource Centers (ECRC) are the newest service to assist preschool students in Suffolk. These centers will offer FREE screening for developmental delays in vision, hearing, speech, language, motor skills, cognitive skills, and social interactions for children ages 2-4.

Who will conduct the screening and testing?
Full-time staff of Suffolk Public schools at the ECRC consists of a school psychologist, a school social worker and an Early Childhood Resource Center lead teacher. A nurse, speech/language therapist, occupational therapist and physical therapist are available as needed. This outreach replaces the quarterly Child Check programs which traveled to different schools to offer screenings for children birth to age four.

Who is helped at the Early Childhood Resource Center?
Each year, more than 150 preschoolers are referred to child study teams because of concerns about delays in skills development. The Early Childhood Resource Centers will address all these areas of concern in a single location.

The ECRC staff will schedule and conduct all child study meetings for preschoolers in the school division. If evaluations are recommended, every effort is made to conduct testing entirely on site. Centralizing the evaluation process will streamline the experience for the parent and well as the child.

However, the ECRC is a not just a resource for those going through child study or evaluation. The centers will help parents connect with community agencies such as Head Start, the Children's Center and the Western Tidewater Community Services Board.