CNA 2022-25 vFINAL 09202022 MASTER COPY - Flipbook - Page 88
I.
Domain: Education/Cognitive Development
1. Secondary Data
As mentioned earlier, child care is not only about allowing parents to go to work or school. It is also about
early education for our children, and to a large extent it is also about building equity; high quality early
education helps all children, from the most vulnerable to the most protected, to have a strong start with
brain development and social/emotional skills. As clearly stated in the earlier section, there are numerous
persistent barriers to high quality early education for children from lower-income families, from cost to
availability to quality. This is a nationwide and statewide problem not completely solvable at the local
level. To truly support our young ones, we need to change the underlying business model upon which our
current child care systems are based. Early education is not something that can be adequately and
equitably funded through market mechanisms.
Disability: Children with Disabilities
In addition to ACS age-group data reported above, locally collected data provides a clearer picture of
children with disabilities in the service area. During the 2020-21 school year in Steuben County, there
were 2,102 students with disabilities served by public schools in 13 school districts, accounting for 14.5%
of the total county-wide student body served in these districts. During the same school year in Yates
County, there are 291 students with disabilities served by public schools in two school districts,
accounting for 10.5% of the total county-wide student body served in these districts. In the report area,
the rate of students with disabilities was highest in the following school districts during 2020-21: Dundee
CSD (23%); Bradford CSD (23%); Jasper-Troupsburg CSD (21%); and Hornell CSD (19%).
(Data source: NYSED School Report Cards, retrieved from https://data.nysed.gov/.)
Early Intervention
Early Intervention is a free, statewide program for providing early identification, screening, evaluation,
special services, and service coordination for infant and toddlers at risk for developmental delays and
their families. Children birth to 3 years old with suspected developmental delays, a diagnosed disability, or
condition affecting development are eligible for EI. Eligibility Criteria includes premature infants, low
birth weight infants, growth deficiency/nutritional problems, parental substance abuse, suspected
developmental delay, at risk
factors or parental concern.
Service Coordinators work
with families in their homes
to meet the special needs of
each child and family and
refers families to other
community services such as
Medicaid, SSI, or medical
insurance. Services provided
may include Special
Instruction, Speech Therapy,
Physical Therapy, Psychological Services, Social Work, Occupational Therapy or Nutritional Services.
According to data provided by Steuben County Public Health, in 2021 the Early Intervention Program
evaluated a total of 211 children, compared with 176 evaluated in 2020 and 241 evaluated in 2019. Of
the 211 evaluated children in 2021, Steuben County reported reasons for discharge as shown in the table
above. According to the Yates County Public Health 2021 Annual Report, 60 children were referred to the
Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc. Community Needs Assessment 2022 – 2025
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