Making a referral is a way of asking Birth to Three to evaluate a child.
Experts will meet with the family to see if the child might need some help with their development. It’s the first step in our process. Referrals are free. You don’t have to be an expert to make a referral. Anyone can make a referral, including:
- Parents
- Foster parents and guardians
- Teachers
- Childcare providers
- Health care providers
- Case workers
- Relatives or family friends
Online Referral Form
Quickly and easily submit a referral using our online forms.
Call 1-800-505-7000 or 211
Experts are standing by and ready to help. You can also go to the 2-1-1 Child Development website. Interpretation for these calls is available at no cost.
Fax Your Referral
Download this form and follow the instructions to fax it to us.
When someone makes a referral, we’ll check with a child’s parent to see if they agree to the referral.
If they do, we’ll send the referral to one of our contracted Birth to Three programs who will call the family to schedule the evaluation. During the evaluation, a multidisciplinary team will assess a child’s strengths and needs, often using one or more standardized tests. Learn more about evaluations.
Both evaluations and services, if eligible, are at no out of pocket cost for families. The state does request to access insurance for reimbursement for services with the family’s permission.
Once you have made a referral, you will receive a confirmation that the referral has been received; however, a Release of Information (ROI) is required for any additional information pertaining to the referral.
The Birth to Three System in partnership with 211 Child Development (211 CD) work diligently to send referrals to contracted programs in a timely manner. When a referral is made, families should receive a phone call back from 211 CD within 2 business days. If a parent makes the referral themselves online, a Birth to Three program will reach out to them directly. If referrals go beyond that without contact, please notify the Birth to Three System’s Child Find, Rebecca Smith, at Rebecca.Smith@ct.gov or you can leave a voicemail at (860) 500-4431.
You can learn about eligibility requirements here. But if you’re not sure, call 211CD anyway. They can help figure out whether a referral makes sense. If not, they can direct you to other resources that might help.