Section 2542. Comprehensive child find system and public awareness program

1. The commissioner shall develop a comprehensive child find system that
  ensures that eligible children in the  state  are  identified,  located,
  referred  to the early intervention official and evaluated.  Such system
  shall:
    (a) require  early  intervention  officials  to  identify  and  locate
  eligible children within their municipality;
    (b) be coordinated with efforts to identify, locate and track children
  conducted  by  other  agencies  responsible  for services to infants and
  toddlers and their families, including the efforts in (i) part B of  the
  federal  individuals  with  disabilities  education act, including early
  childhood direction centers, (ii) the maternal and child health  program
  under  title  V of the federal social security act, including the infant
  health assessment program, (iii) medicaid's  early  periodic  screening,
  diagnosis  and  treatment  program under title XIX of the federal social
  security act, and (iv) the federal supplemental security income program;
  and
    (c) provide for the identification, tracking and screening of children
  at risk of developmental delay, using resources  available  through  the
  programs, identified in paragraph (b) of this subdivision and such other
  available resources as the commissioner shall commit to this purpose.
    2.  The  commissioner  shall develop, implement, and maintain a public
  awareness program to inform the  general  public  and  the  professional
  community  of the availability of the early intervention program and the
  benefits of services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their
  families. The program shall include materials which describe the  normal
  developmental   achievements   of  young  children,  identification  and
  procedures for referral of children with disabilities, and how  to  gain
  access to early intervention services.
    3.  The  following  persons  and  entities, within two working days of
  identifying an infant or toddler suspected of having a disability or  at
  risk  of  having a disability, shall refer such infant or toddler to the
  early intervention official or the health officer of the  public  health
  district  in  which  the infant or toddler resides, as designated by the
  municipality, but in no event over the objection of the parent  made  in
  accordance with procedures established by the department for use by such
  primary  referral  sources,  unless the child has already been referred:
  hospitals, child health care providers, day care programs, local  school
  districts,  public  health facilities, early childhood direction centers
  and such other social service and health care agencies and providers  as
  the  commissioner  shall  specify in regulation; provided, however, that
  the department shall  establish  procedures,  including  regulations  if
  required,  to ensure that primary referral sources adequately inform the
  parent or guardian  about  the  early  intervention  program,  including
  through  brochures  and  written  materials  created  or approved by the
  department.
    4. The commissioner shall provide  each  early  intervention  official
  with  a  list of all approved evaluators and service coordinators in the
  municipality or geographic area proximate to such municipality or,  with
  respect  to the city of New York, subdivisions of the city as prescribed
  by the commissioner.
    Such list of approved evaluators shall be updated  at  least  annually
  and  shall  describe  the  specific areas of expertise of each qualified
  evaluator, if known.