This guide covers Rochester, Minnesota — Olmsted County, in the southeastern part of the state — not the larger Rochester in upstate New York. Minnesota runs early intervention differently from most states: the public school district itself is the Part C provider for children under 3, so in Rochester that responsibility sits with Rochester Public Schools rather than a county health office.

Below are the district's screening and Child Find contacts, the statewide referral system that feeds into them, and Olmsted County's role once a family needs longer-term Medicaid waiver services, each with a source.

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

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

Minnesota assigns Part C early intervention to local school districts rather than a county health department, which surprises families moving in from other states. In Rochester, a referral through Help Me Grow Minnesota — by phone or online — is sent to Rochester Public Schools, which then contacts the family directly to schedule a free evaluation. The district's Early Childhood Special Education program, coordinated out of Hoover Early Learning School, carries a child from that first evaluation through age 5, and the same office also runs the developmental screening required of every Minnesota child before kindergarten.

• Help Me Grow Minnesota, delivered through Rochester 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

Rochester Public Schools is the sole district covering the city, so the second contact below is Minnesota's own Part C compliance office rather than a neighboring district — the state-level route to use if a district-specific question needs to go further.

• Rochester Public Schools — Early Childhood Special Education coordinator at Hoover Early Learning School, 507-328-3450; screening appointments 507-328-4004

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.

• Minnesota Department of Education — Part C / Early Intervention compliance office — not a district — the state office overseeing Minnesota's Part C system statewide

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Rochester

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Rochester. 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: Olmsted County Community Services — Disability Services

Olmsted County's Disability Services office is where Rochester families apply for Minnesota's Medicaid home-and-community-based waivers, including the Developmental Disabilities (DD), CADI, CAC, and Brain Injury waivers. A social worker follows up after either an online referral or a phone call to schedule an assessment and walk through which program, if any, fits a child's needs. The same office can also point families toward Medical Assistance under TEFRA for a child whose family income would otherwise put Medicaid out of reach.

• Olmsted County Community Services — Disability Services
• Phone: 507-328-6519

Local organizations that help Rochester families

• Disability Hub MN — 1-866-333-2466; statewide, free navigation help for Minnesota disability programs, useful for families outside the Twin Cities

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's evaluation clock runs in school days rather than calendar days: Rochester Public Schools has 30 school days from a signed consent form to finish testing and decide eligibility, which can stretch past a summer or holiday break in real time. (source)
• As the district running Part C locally, Rochester Public Schools has 45 calendar days from the date Help Me Grow logs a referral to complete the evaluation and hold the first IFSP meeting. (source)
• Since 2015 the state has funded CADI waiver slots for every eligible applicant, so Olmsted County families generally shouldn't expect the multi-year queue some other states report — though it's still worth confirming current speed with Disability Services directly, since a handful of counties and priority groups move differently. (source)