§ 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.