Referrals
Do you have concerns with a child’s development? Making a referral is the first step in our process for requesting a Birth to Three evaluation.
Interventionists from one of our contracted Birth to Three programs will meet with the family to evaluate and assess a child’s strengths and needs, as well as discuss the family’s concerns. Anyone can make a referral to Birth to Three, but only the child’s parents may give permission for an evaluation.
Possible referral sources may include:
- Parents
- Foster parents and guardians
- Teachers
- Childcare providers
- Health care providers
- Case workers
- Relatives or family friends
How do I make a referral?
It’s easy — and there are a few ways to do it.
1. Call us at 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.
2. Fill out our online form
This is the quickest and easiest way to make a referral for a Birth to Three evaluation. Please choose the referral form that best describes your relationship to the child.
- Referral form for parents, foster parents, and guardians
- Referral form for Department of Children and Families (DCF) workers
- DCF workers may also want to use this developmental screening form
- Referral form for everyone else (such as teachers, health care providers, friends, and relatives)
3. Fax us a referral form
Fill out this form and follow the instructions to fax it to us.
What happens after I make a referral?
When someone makes a referral, we’ll check with the child’s parents 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.
Evaluations, and if eligible, services are free 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.
What if I’m not sure a child needs a referral?
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.