If you’re looking for a summary of Part C’s purposes and key definitions, try our Key Terms to Know in Early Intervention. The page you’re currently on gives you the exact words of the 2011 regulations for Part C of IDEA, without explanation or commentary.
e-CFR Data is current as
of November 14, 2012
Title 34: Education
PART 303—EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS WITH DISABILITIES
Contents
Subpart A—General
Purpose and Applicable Regulations
§ 303.1 Purpose of the early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities.
§ 303.2 Eligible recipients of an award and applicability of this part.
§ 303.3 Applicable regulations.
Definitions Used in This Part
§ 303.4 Act.
§ 303.5 At-risk infant or toddler.
§ 303.6 Child.
§ 303.7 Consent.
§ 303.8 Council.
§ 303.9 Day.
§ 303.10 Developmental delay.
§ 303.11 Early intervention service program.
§ 303.12 Early intervention service provider.
§ 303.13 Early intervention services.
§ 303.14 Elementary school.
§ 303.15 Free appropriate public education.
§ 303.16 Health services.
§ 303.17 Homeless children.
§ 303.18 Include; including.
§ 303.19 Indian; Indian tribe.
§ 303.20 Individualized family service plan.
§ 303.21 Infant or toddler with a disability.
§ 303.22 Lead agency.
§ 303.23 Local educational agency.
§ 303.24 Multidisciplinary.
§ 303.25 Native language.
§ 303.26 Natural environments.
§ 303.27 Parent.
§ 303.28 Parent training and information center.
§ 303.29 Personally identifiable information.
§ 303.30 Public agency.
§ 303.31 Qualified personnel.
§ 303.32 Scientifically based research.
§ 303.33 Secretary.
§ 303.34 Service coordination services (case management).
§ 303.35 State.
§ 303.36 State educational agency.
§ 303.37 Ward of the State.
Back to top
_______________________________
Subpart A—General
Purpose and Applicable Regulations
§ 303.1 Purpose of the early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities.
The purpose of this part is to provide financial assistance to States to—
(a) Develop and implement a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system that provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families;
(b) Facilitate the coordination of payment for early intervention services from Federal, State, local, and private sources (including public and private insurance coverage);
(c) Enhance State capacity to provide quality early intervention services and expand and improve existing early intervention services being provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families;
(d) Enhance the capacity of State and local agencies and service providers to identify, evaluate, and meet the needs of all children, including historically underrepresented populations, particularly minority, low-income, inner-city, and rural children, and infants and toddlers in foster care; and
(e) Encourage States to expand opportunities for children under three years of age who would be at risk of having substantial developmental delay if they did not receive early intervention services.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1400(d)(2), 1431(a)(5), 1431(b))
§ 303.2 Eligible recipients of an award and applicability of this part.
(a) Eligible recipients of an award. Eligible recipients include the 50 States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Secretary of the Interior, and the following jurisdictions: Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(b) Applicability of this part.
(1) The provisions of this part apply to—
(i) The State lead agency and any EIS provider that is part of the statewide system of early intervention, regardless of whether that EIS provider receives funds under part C of the Act; and
(ii) All children referred to the part C program, including infants and toddlers with disabilities consistent with the definitions in §§ 303.6 and 303.21, and their families.
(2) The provisions of this part do not apply to any child with a disability receiving a free appropriate public education or FAPE under 34 CFR part 300.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(31), 1434, 1435(a)(10)(A))
§ 303.3 Applicable regulations.
(a) The following regulations apply to this part:
(1) The regulations in this part 303.
(2) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), including 34 CFR parts 76 (except for § 76.103), 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, and 86.
(b) In applying the regulations cited in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, any reference to—
(1) State educational agency means the lead agency under this part; and
(2) Education records or records means early intervention records.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221(b), 1221e-3, 1431-1444)
Definitions Used in This Part
§ 303.4 Act.
Act means the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1400(a))
§ 303.5 At-risk infant or toddler.
At-risk infant or toddler means an individual under three years of age who would be at risk of experiencing a substantial developmental delay if early intervention services were not provided to the individual. At the State’s discretion, at-risk infant or toddler may include an infant or toddler who is at risk of experiencing developmental delays because of biological or environmental factors that can be identified (including low birth weight, respiratory distress as a newborn, lack of oxygen, brain hemorrhage, infection, nutritional deprivation, a history of abuse or neglect, and being directly affected by illegal substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure).
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(1), 1432(5)(B)(i) and 1437(a)(6))
§ 303.6 Child.
Child means an individual under the age of six and may include an infant or toddler with a disability, as that term is defined in § 303.21.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(5))
§ 303.7 Consent.
Consent means that—
(a) The parent has been fully informed of all information relevant to the activity for which consent is sought, in the parent’s native language, as defined in § 303.25;
(b) The parent understands and agrees in writing to the carrying out of the activity for which the parent’s consent is sought, and the consent form describes that activity and lists the early intervention records (if any) that will be released and to whom they will be released; and
(c)(1) The parent understands that the granting of consent is voluntary on the part of the parent and may be revoked at any time.
(2) If a parent revokes consent, that revocation is not retroactive ( i.e., it does not apply to an action that occurred before the consent was revoked).
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1439)
§ 303.8 Council.
Council means the State Interagency Coordinating Council that meets the requirements of subpart G of this part.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(2))
§ 303.9 Day.
Day means calendar day, unless otherwise indicated.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3)
§ 303.10 Developmental delay.
Developmental delay, when used with respect to a child residing in a State, has the meaning given that term by the State under § 303.111.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(3))
§ 303.11 Early intervention service program.
Early intervention service program or EIS program means an entity designated by the lead agency for reporting under §§ 303.700 through 303.702.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1416, 1431-1444)
§ 303.12 Early intervention service provider.
(a) Early intervention service provider or EIS provider means an entity (whether public, private, or nonprofit) or an individual that provides early intervention services under part C of the Act, whether or not the entity or individual receives Federal funds under part C of the Act, and may include, where appropriate, the lead agency and a public agency responsible for providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities in the State under part C of the Act.
(b) An EIS provider is responsible for—
(1) Participating in the multidisciplinary individualized family service plan (IFSP) Team’s ongoing assessment of an infant or toddler with a disability and a family-directed assessment of the resources, priorities, and concerns of the infant’s or toddler’s family, as related to the needs of the infant or toddler, in the development of integrated goals and outcomes for the IFSP;
(2) Providing early intervention services in accordance with the IFSP of the infant or toddler with a disability; and
(3) Consulting with and training parents and others regarding the provision of the early intervention services described in the IFSP of the infant or toddler with a disability.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1431-1444)
§ 303.13 Early intervention services.
(a) General. Early intervention services means developmental services that—
(1) Are provided under public supervision;
(2) Are selected in collaboration with the parents;
(3) Are provided at no cost, except, subject to §§ 303.520 and 303.521, where Federal or State law provides for a system of payments by families, including a schedule of sliding fees;
(4) Are designed to meet the developmental needs of an infant or toddler with a disability and the needs of the family to assist appropriately in the infant’s or toddler’s development, as identified by the IFSP Team, in any one or more of the following areas, including—
(i) Physical development;
(ii) Cognitive development;
(iii) Communication development;
(iv) Social or emotional development; or
(v) Adaptive development;
(5) Meet the standards of the State in which the early intervention services are provided, including the requirements of part C of the Act;
(6) Include services identified under paragraph (b) of this section;
(7) Are provided by qualified personnel (as that term is defined in § 303.31), including the types of personnel listed in paragraph (c) of this section;
(8) To the maximum extent appropriate, are provided in natural environments, as defined in § 303.26 and consistent with §§ 303.126 and 303.344(d); and
(9) Are provided in conformity with an IFSP adopted in accordance with section 636 of the Act and § 303.20.
(b) Types of early intervention services. Subject to paragraph (d) of this section, early intervention services include the following services defined in this paragraph:
(1) Assistive technology device and service are defined as follows:
(i) Assistive technology device means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of an infant or toddler with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, including a cochlear implant, or the optimization ( e.g., mapping), maintenance, or replacement of that device.
(ii) Assistive technology service means any service that directly assists an infant or toddler with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes—
(A) The evaluation of the needs of an infant or toddler with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the infant or toddler with a disability in the child’s customary environment;
(B) Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by infants or toddlers with disabilities;
(C) Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices;
(D) Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
(E) Training or technical assistance for an infant or toddler with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and
(F) Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services) or other individuals who provide services to, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of, infants and toddlers with disabilities.
(2) Audiology services include—
(i) Identification of children with auditory impairments, using at-risk criteria and appropriate audiologic screening techniques;
(ii) Determination of the range, nature, and degree of hearing loss and communication functions, by use of audiological evaluation procedures;
(iii) Referral for medical and other services necessary for the habilitation or rehabilitation of an infant or toddler with a disability who has an auditory impairment;
(iv) Provision of auditory training, aural rehabilitation, speech reading and listening devices, orientation and training, and other services;
(v) Provision of services for prevention of hearing loss; and
(vi) Determination of the child’s individual amplification, including selecting, fitting, and dispensing appropriate listening and vibrotactile devices, and evaluating the effectiveness of those devices.
(3) Family training, counseling, and home visits means services provided, as appropriate, by social workers, psychologists, and other qualified personnel to assist the family of an infant or toddler with a disability in understanding the special needs of the child and enhancing the child’s development.
(4) Health services has the meaning given the term in § 303.16.
(5) Medical services means services provided by a licensed physician for diagnostic or evaluation purposes to determine a child’s developmental status and need for early intervention services.
(6) Nursing services include—
(i) The assessment of health status for the purpose of providing nursing care, including the identification of patterns of human response to actual or potential health problems;
(ii) The provision of nursing care to prevent health problems, restore or improve functioning, and promote optimal health and development; and
(iii) The administration of medications, treatments, and regimens prescribed by a licensed physician.
(7) Nutrition services include—
(i) Conducting individual assessments in—
(A) Nutritional history and dietary intake;
(B) Anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical variables;
(C) Feeding skills and feeding problems; and
(D) Food habits and food preferences;
(ii) Developing and monitoring appropriate plans to address the nutritional needs of children eligible under this part, based on the findings in paragraph (b)(7)(i) of this section; and
(iii) Making referrals to appropriate community resources to carry out nutrition goals.
(8) Occupational therapy includes services to address the functional needs of an infant or toddler with a disability related to adaptive development, adaptive behavior, and play, and sensory, motor, and postural development. These services are designed to improve the child’s functional ability to perform tasks in home, school, and community settings, and include—
(i) Identification, assessment, and intervention;
(ii) Adaptation of the environment, and selection, design, and fabrication of assistive and orthotic devices to facilitate development and promote the acquisition of functional skills; and
(iii) Prevention or minimization of the impact of initial or future impairment, delay in development, or loss of functional ability.
(9) Physical therapy includes services to address the promotion of sensorimotor function through enhancement of musculoskeletal status, neurobehavioral organization, perceptual and motor development, cardiopulmonary status, and effective environmental adaptation. These services include—
(i) Screening, evaluation, and assessment of children to identify movement dysfunction;
(ii) Obtaining, interpreting, and integrating information appropriate to program planning to prevent, alleviate, or compensate for movement dysfunction and related functional problems; and
(iii) Providing individual and group services or treatment to prevent, alleviate, or compensate for, movement dysfunction and related functional problems.
(10) Psychological services include—
(i) Administering psychological and developmental tests and other assessment procedures;
(ii) Interpreting assessment results;
(iii) Obtaining, integrating, and interpreting information about child behavior and child and family conditions related to learning, mental health, and development; and
(iv) Planning and managing a program of psychological services, including psychological counseling for children and parents, family counseling, consultation on child development, parent training, and education programs.
(11) Service coordination services has the meaning given the term in § 303.34.
(12) Sign language and cued language services include teaching sign language, cued language, and auditory/oral language, providing oral transliteration services (such as amplification), and providing sign and cued language interpretation.
(13) Social work services include—
(i) Making home visits to evaluate a child’s living conditions and patterns of parent-child interaction;
(ii) Preparing a social or emotional developmental assessment of the infant or toddler within the family context;
(iii) Providing individual and family-group counseling with parents and other family members, and appropriate social skill-building activities with the infant or toddler and parents;
(iv) Working with those problems in the living situation (home, community, and any center where early intervention services are provided) of an infant or toddler with a disability and the family of that child that affect the child’s maximum utilization of early intervention services; and
(v) Identifying, mobilizing, and coordinating community resources and services to enable the infant or toddler with a disability and the family to receive maximum benefit from early intervention services.
(14) Special instruction includes—
(i) The design of learning environments and activities that promote the infant’s or toddler’s acquisition of skills in a variety of developmental areas, including cognitive processes and social interaction;
(ii) Curriculum planning, including the planned interaction of personnel, materials, and time and space, that leads to achieving the outcomes in the IFSP for the infant or toddler with a disability;
(iii) Providing families with information, skills, and support related to enhancing the skill development of the child; and
(iv) Working with the infant or toddler with a disability to enhance the child’s development.
(15) Speech-language pathology services include—
(i) Identification of children with communication or language disorders and delays in development of communication skills, including the diagnosis and appraisal of specific disorders and delays in those skills;
(ii) Referral for medical or other professional services necessary for the habilitation or rehabilitation of children with communication or language disorders and delays in development of communication skills; and
(iii) Provision of services for the habilitation, rehabilitation, or prevention of communication or language disorders and delays in development of communication skills.
(16) Transportation and related costs include the cost of travel and other costs that are necessary to enable an infant or toddler with a disability and the child’s family to receive early intervention services.
(17) Vision services mean—
(i) Evaluation and assessment of visual functioning, including the diagnosis and appraisal of specific visual disorders, delays, and abilities that affect early childhood development;
(ii) Referral for medical or other professional services necessary for the habilitation or rehabilitation of visual functioning disorders, or both; and
(iii) Communication skills training, orientation and mobility training for all environments, visual training, and additional training necessary to activate visual motor abilities.
(c) Qualified personnel. The following are the types of qualified personnel who provide early intervention services under this part:
(1) Audiologists.
(2) Family therapists.
(3) Nurses.
(4) Occupational therapists.
(5) Orientation and mobility specialists.
(6) Pediatricians and other physicians for diagnostic and evaluation purposes.
(7) Physical therapists.
(8) Psychologists.
(9) Registered dieticians.
(10) Social workers.
(11) Special educators, including teachers of children with hearing impairments (including deafness) and teachers of children with visual impairments (including blindness).
(12) Speech and language pathologists.
(13) Vision specialists, including ophthalmologists and optometrists.
(d) Other services. The services and personnel identified and defined in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section do not comprise exhaustive lists of the types of services that may constitute early intervention services or the types of qualified personnel that may provide early intervention services. Nothing in this section prohibits the identification in the IFSP of another type of service as an early intervention service provided that the service meets the criteria identified in paragraph (a) of this section or of another type of personnel that may provide early intervention services in accordance with this part, provided such personnel meet the requirements in § 303.31.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(4))
§ 303.14 Elementary school.
Elementary school means a nonprofit institutional day or residential school, including a public elementary charter school, that provides elementary education, as determined under State law.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(6))
§ 303.15 Free appropriate public education.
Free appropriate public education or FAPE, as used in §§ 303.211, 303.501, and 303.521, means special education and related services that—
(a) Are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge;
(b) Meet the standards of the State educational agency (SEA), including the requirements of part B of the Act;
(c) Include an appropriate preschool, elementary school, or secondary school education in the State involved; and
(d) Are provided in conformity with an individualized education program (IEP) that meets the requirements of 34 CFR 300.320 through 300.324.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(9))
§ 303.16 Health services.
(a) Health services mean services necessary to enable an otherwise eligible child to benefit from the other early intervention services under this part during the time that the child is eligible to receive early intervention services.
(b) The term includes—
(1) Such services as clean intermittent catheterization, tracheostomy care, tube feeding, the changing of dressings or colostomy collection bags, and other health services; and
(2) Consultation by physicians with other service providers concerning the special health care needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities that will need to be addressed in the course of providing other early intervention services.
(c) The term does not include—
(1) Services that are—
(i) Surgical in nature (such as cleft palate surgery, surgery for club foot, or the shunting of hydrocephalus);
(ii) Purely medical in nature (such as hospitalization for management of congenital heart ailments, or the prescribing of medicine or drugs for any purpose); or
(iii) Related to the implementation, optimization ( e.g., mapping), maintenance, or replacement of a medical device that is surgically implanted, including a cochlear implant.
(A) Nothing in this part limits the right of an infant or toddler with a disability with a surgically implanted device ( e.g., cochlear implant) to receive the early intervention services that are identified in the child’s IFSP as being needed to meet the child’s developmental outcomes.
(B) Nothing in this part prevents the EIS provider from routinely checking that either the hearing aid or the external components of a surgically implanted device ( e.g., cochlear implant) of an infant or toddler with a disability are functioning properly;
(2) Devices (such as heart monitors, respirators and oxygen, and gastrointestinal feeding tubes and pumps) necessary to control or treat a medical condition; and
(3) Medical-health services (such as immunizations and regular “well-baby” care) that are routinely recommended for all children.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(4))
§ 303.17 Homeless children.
Homeless children means children who meet the definition given the term homeless children and youths in section 725 (42 U.S.C. 11434a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(11))
§ 303.18 Include; including.
Include or including means that the items named are not all of the possible items that are covered, whether like or unlike the ones named.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3)
§ 303.19 Indian; Indian tribe.
(a) Indian means an individual who is a member of an Indian tribe.
(b) Indian tribe means any Federal or State Indian tribe, band, rancheria, pueblo, colony, or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional village corporation (as defined in or established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq. ).
(c) Nothing in this definition is intended to indicate that the Secretary of the Interior is required to provide services or funding to a State Indian Tribe that is not listed in the Federal Register list of Indian entities recognized as eligible to receive services from the United States, published pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. 479a-1.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(12)-(13))
§ 303.20 Individualized family service plan.
Individualized family service plan or IFSP means a written plan for providing early intervention services to an infant or toddler with a disability under this part and the infant’s or toddler’s family that—
(a) Is based on the evaluation and assessment described in § 303.321;
(b) Includes the content specified in § 303.344;
(c) Is implemented as soon as possible once parental consent for the early intervention services in the IFSP is obtained (consistent with § 303.420); and
(d) Is developed in accordance with the IFSP procedures in §§ 303.342, 303.343, and 303.345.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(15), 1435(a)(4), 1436)
§ 303.21 Infant or toddler with a disability.
(a) Infant or toddler with a disability means an individual under three years of age who needs early intervention services because the individual—
(1) Is experiencing a developmental delay, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas:
(i) Cognitive development.
(ii) Physical development, including vision and hearing.
(iii) Communication development.
(iv) Social or emotional development.
(v) Adaptive development; or
(2) Has a diagnosed physical or mental condition that—
(i) Has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay; and
(ii) Includes conditions such as chromosomal abnormalities; genetic or congenital disorders; sensory impairments; inborn errors of metabolism; disorders reflecting disturbance of the development of the nervous system; congenital infections; severe attachment disorders; and disorders secondary to exposure to toxic substances, including fetal alcohol syndrome.
(b) Infant or toddler with a disability may include, at a State’s discretion, an at-risk infant or toddler (as defined in § 303.5).
(c) Infant or toddler with a disability may include, at a State’s discretion, a child with a disability who is eligible for services under section 619 of the Act and who previously received services under this part until the child enters, or is eligible under State law to enter, kindergarten or elementary school, as appropriate, provided that any programs under this part must include—
(1) An educational component that promotes school readiness and incorporates pre-literacy, language, and numeracy skills for children ages three and older who receive part C services pursuant to § 303.211; and
(2) A written notification to parents of a child with a disability who is eligible for services under section 619 of the Act and who previously received services under this part of their rights and responsibilities in determining whether their child will continue to receive services under this part or participate in preschool programs under section 619 of the Act.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(16), 1432(5))
§ 303.22 Lead agency.
Lead agency means the agency designated by the State’s Governor under section 635(a)(10) of the Act and § 303.120 that receives funds under section 643 of the Act to administer the State’s responsibilities under part C of the Act.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1435(a)(10))
§ 303.23 Local educational agency.
(a) General. Local educational agency or LEA means a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for a combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools.
(b) Educational service agencies and other public institutions or agencies. The term includes the following:
(1) Educational service agency, defined as a regional public multiservice agency—
(i) Authorized by State law to develop, manage, and provide services or programs to LEAs; and
(ii) Recognized as an administrative agency for purposes of the provision of special education and related services provided within public elementary schools and secondary schools of the State.
(2) Any other public institution or agency having administrative control and direction of a public elementary school or secondary school, including a public charter school that is established as an LEA under State law.
(3) Entities that meet the definition of intermediate educational unit or IEU in section 602(23) of the Act, as in effect prior to June 4, 1997. Under that definition an intermediate educational unit or IEU means any public authority other than an LEA that—
(i) Is under the general supervision of a State educational agency;
(ii) Is established by State law for the purpose of providing FAPE on a regional basis; and
(iii) Provides special education and related services to children with disabilities within the State.
(c) BIE-funded schools. The term includes an elementary school or secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Education, and not subject to the jurisdiction of any SEA other than the Bureau of Indian Education, but only to the extent that the inclusion makes the school eligible for programs for which specific eligibility is not provided to the school in another provision of law and the school does not have a student population that is smaller than the student population of the LEA receiving assistance under the Act with the smallest student population.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(5), 1401(19))
§ 303.24 Multidisciplinary.
Multidisciplinary means the involvement of two or more separate disciplines or professions and with respect to—
(a) Evaluation of the child in §§ 303.113 and 303.321(a)(1)(i) and assessments of the child and family in § 303.321(a)(1)(ii), may include one individual who is qualified in more than one discipline or profession; and
(b) The IFSP Team in § 303.340 must include the involvement of the parent and two or more individuals from separate disciplines or professions and one of these individuals must be the service coordinator (consistent with § 303.343(a)(1)(iv)).
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3, 1435(a)(3), 1436(a)(1), 1436(a)(3))
§ 303.25 Native language.
(a) Native language, when used with respect to an individual who is limited English proficient or LEP (as that term is defined in section 602(18) of the Act), means—
(1) The language normally used by that individual, or, in the case of a child, the language normally used by the parents of the child, except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section; and
(2) For evaluations and assessments conducted pursuant to § 303.321(a)(5) and (a)(6), the language normally used by the child, if determined developmentally appropriate for the child by qualified personnel conducting the evaluation or assessment.
(b) Native language, when used with respect to an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or for an individual with no written language, means the mode of communication that is normally used by the individual (such as sign language, braille, or oral communication).
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(20))
§ 303.26 Natural environments.
Natural environments means settings that are natural or typical for a same-aged infant or toddler without a disability, may include the home or community settings, and must be consistent with the provisions of § 303.126.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432, 1435, 1436)
§ 303.27 Parent.
(a) Parent means—
(1) A biological or adoptive parent of a child;
(2) A foster parent, unless State law, regulations, or contractual obligations with a State or local entity prohibit a foster parent from acting as a parent;
(3) A guardian generally authorized to act as the child’s parent, or authorized to make early intervention, educational, health or developmental decisions for the child (but not the State if the child is a ward of the State);
(4) An individual acting in the place of a biological or adoptive parent (including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative) with whom the child lives, or an individual who is legally responsible for the child’s welfare; or
(5) A surrogate parent who has been appointed in accordance with § 303.422 or section 639(a)(5) of the Act.
(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the biological or adoptive parent, when attempting to act as the parent under this part and when more than one party is qualified under paragraph (a) of this section to act as a parent, must be presumed to be the parent for purposes of this section unless the biological or adoptive parent does not have legal authority to make educational or early intervention service decisions for the child.
(2) If a judicial decree or order identifies a specific person or persons under paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(4) of this section to act as the “parent” of a child or to make educational or early intervention service decisions on behalf of a child, then the person or persons must be determined to be the “parent” for purposes of part C of the Act, except that if an EIS provider or a public agency provides any services to a child or any family member of that child, that EIS provider or public agency may not act as the parent for that child.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(23), 1439(a)(5))
§ 303.28 Parent training and information center.
Parent training and information center means a center assisted under section 671 or 672 of the Act.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(25))
§ 303.29 Personally identifiable information.
Personally identifiable information means personally identifiable information as defined in 34 CFR 99.3, as amended, except that the term “student” in the definition of personally identifiable information in 34 CFR 99.3 means “child” as used in this part and any reference to “school” means “EIS provider” as used in this part.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1415, 1439)
§ 303.30 Public agency.
As used in this part, public agency means the lead agency and any other agency or political subdivision of the State.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1435(a)(10))
§ 303.31 Qualified personnel.
Qualified personnel means personnel who have met State approved or recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to the areas in which the individuals are conducting evaluations or assessments or providing early intervention services.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(4)(F))
§ 303.32 Scientifically based research.
Scientifically based research has the meaning given the term in section 9101(37) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). In applying the ESEA to the regulations under part C of the Act, any reference to “education activities and programs” refers to “early intervention services.”
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1435(a)(2))
§ 303.33 Secretary.
Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(28))
§ 303.34 Service coordination services (case management).
(a) General. (1) As used in this part, service coordination services mean services provided by a service coordinator to assist and enable an infant or toddler with a disability and the child’s family to receive the services and rights, including procedural safeguards, required under this part.
(2) Each infant or toddler with a disability and the child’s family must be provided with one service coordinator who is responsible for—
(i) Coordinating all services required under this part across agency lines; and
(ii) Serving as the single point of contact for carrying out the activities described in paragraphs (a)(3) and (b) of this section.
(3) Service coordination is an active, ongoing process that involves—
(i) Assisting parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities in gaining access to, and coordinating the provision of, the early intervention services required under this part; and
(ii) Coordinating the other services identified in the IFSP under § 303.344(e) that are needed by, or are being provided to, the infant or toddler with a disability and that child’s family.
(b) Specific service coordination services. Service coordination services include—
(1) Assisting parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities in obtaining access to needed early intervention services and other services identified in the IFSP, including making referrals to providers for needed services and scheduling appointments for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families;
(2) Coordinating the provision of early intervention services and other services (such as educational, social, and medical services that are not provided for diagnostic or evaluative purposes) that the child needs or is being provided;
(3) Coordinating evaluations and assessments;
(4) Facilitating and participating in the development, review, and evaluation of IFSPs;
(5) Conducting referral and other activities to assist families in identifying available EIS providers;
(6) Coordinating, facilitating, and monitoring the delivery of services required under this part to ensure that the services are provided in a timely manner;
(7) Conducting follow-up activities to determine that appropriate part C services are being provided;
(8) Informing families of their rights and procedural safeguards, as set forth in subpart E of this part and related resources;
(9) Coordinating the funding sources for services required under this part; and
(10) Facilitating the development of a transition plan to preschool, school, or, if appropriate, to other services.
(c) Use of the term service coordination or service coordination services. The lead agency’s or an EIS provider’s use of the term service coordination or service coordination services does not preclude characterization of the services as case management or any other service that is covered by another payor of last resort (including Title XIX of the Social Security Act—Medicaid), for purposes of claims in compliance with the requirements of §§ 303.501 through 303.521 (Payor of last resort provisions).
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1432(4), 1435(a)(4), 1436(d)(7), 1440)
§ 303.35 State.
Except as provided in § 303.732(d)(3) (regarding State allotments under this part), State means each of the 50 States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the four outlying areas and jurisdictions of Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(31))
§ 303.36 State educational agency.
(a) State educational agency or SEA means the State board of education or other agency or officer primarily responsible for the State supervision of public elementary schools and secondary schools, or, if there is no such officer or agency, an officer or agency designated by the Governor or by State law.
(b) The term includes the agency that receives funds under sections 611 and 619 of the Act to administer the State’s responsibilities under part B of the Act.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(32))
§ 303.37 Ward of the State.
(a) General. Subject to paragraph (b) of this section, ward of the State means a child who, as determined by the State where the child resides, is—
(1) A foster child;
(2) A ward of the State; or
(3) In the custody of a public child welfare agency.
(b) Exception. Ward of the State does not include a foster child who has a foster parent who meets the definition of a parent in § 303.27.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1401(36))