Minnesota does something most states don't: the public school district itself is the Part C early intervention provider for children under 3, not a county health department or a regional nonprofit. For Minneapolis, that means Minneapolis Public Schools runs your Individualized Family Service Plan team from the moment you refer, not just your IEP later on.

This page maps that referral system through Help Me Grow Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools' Child Find and evaluation contacts, and Hennepin County's door into Medicaid's Developmental Disabilities Waiver, with a source behind each phone number and URL.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Minnesota page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Minneapolis (Hennepin County).

Early intervention under 3: Help Me Grow Minnesota, delivered through Minneapolis Public Schools

Minnesota is one of the few states where Part C early intervention is run directly by local school districts rather than a health or human-services agency. A parent, relative, or professional can refer online or by phone at 1-866-693-4769, or call Minneapolis Public Schools directly; either way, the referral lands with the district, which then contacts the family to schedule a free evaluation. Eligibility does not depend on income or immigration status. Because the same district stays involved from the Individualized Family Service Plan through a later IEP, families in Minneapolis deal with one organization continuously from birth through age 21 rather than transferring between agencies at the third birthday.

• Help Me Grow Minnesota, delivered through Minneapolis Public Schools
• Referral phone: 1-866-693-4769 (1-866-693-GROW)

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Minneapolis has a single school district covering the city, so the second contact below is the state's Parent Training and Information Center rather than a neighboring district — useful for independent help understanding your rights during an evaluation or IEP meeting.

• Minneapolis Public Schools — Early Childhood Screening (ages 3-5) 612-668-3715; Early Childhood Special Education site at ecse.mpschools.org; ECSE director 612-668-5100

Other places to ask — not a substitute for the district

An evaluation request has to go to the school district itself; only the district can start the legal timeline. These are for asking questions about the process, or for when the district has not responded.

• PACER Center (Minnesota's Parent Training and Information Center) — not a school district — Minneapolis's federally designated PTI, offering free help with special education rights and advocacy statewide

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Minneapolis

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Minneapolis. That is a gap in our research, not a sign there is nothing here — and it does not stand between you and an evaluation. The school district evaluation above is free, and early intervention under 3 does not need a private diagnosis first.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health — Disability Services

Hennepin County is the local access point for Minnesota's Medicaid home-and-community-based waivers, including the Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver and the Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver. Call the county's Front Door line to start a MnCHOICES assessment, which determines which waiver, if any, fits your child's needs. Families whose income would normally put them over Medicaid limits should ask specifically about Medical Assistance under TEFRA, which counts only the child's income and assets rather than the household's.

• Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health — Disability Services
• Phone: 612-348-4111

Local organizations that help Minneapolis families

• Disability Hub MN — 1-866-333-2466; free statewide navigation help for people with disabilities under 65, including waiver and benefits questions

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Minnesota moves faster than the federal default: once a Minneapolis family signs consent, the district's evaluation team has 30 school days — not 60 calendar days — to finish testing and determine eligibility. (source)
• The 45-day window Minneapolis Public Schools works under as the district's own Part C provider covers the full evaluation, the family assessment, and the first IFSP meeting, all counted from the date Help Me Grow receives the referral. (source)
• Minnesota funded enough CADI waiver slots in 2015 to serve every eligible applicant statewide, so a long formal waitlist isn't the norm the way it is in some states — though individual counties can still move at different speeds depending on program and priority group, which is worth asking Hennepin County about directly. (source)