Transitioning from Birth to Three Services to School District: What To Know
All children are eligible to be evaluated for special education services with their local school district if you feel that your child may have a disability or needs more support and accommodations to access their learning environment. A child enrolled in Birth to Three services (also known as Early Intervention, or EI), receives guidance from their Early Intervention team to help them navigate the transition. Let’s spend some time diving into what a school district evaluation looks like and what to expect.
What Is A School District Evaluation?
An evaluation with the school district is conducted to determine if a child will qualify for special education services. The child must demonstrate the need for additional supports beyond simple modifications within the general education classroom and show a significant delay in one or more developmental area to qualify for services. If a child qualifies for special education services, this means that they are eligible to participate in developmental preschool.
What is Developmental Preschool?
Developmental Preschool is a program provided by the local school district for children ages 3-5 years-old. This program includes children who have qualified for special education services and children who do not qualify and serve as peer models. developmental preschool is an inclusive model that welcomes children of all abilities. The beauty of this model is that all kids learn from each other in some aspect. We teach our children about diversity, equity, and inclusion from an early age!
What is the Process?
If you are currently enrolled in EI services, several months before your child’s 3rd birthday, your Family Resource Coordinator (FRC), will be reaching out to you to schedule a Transition Meeting. This meeting is designed for parents to meet the school district representative and learn more about the evaluation process and what school district services will look like. If you are not enrolled in EI services, you can simply call your local elementary school and let them know you have developmental concerns and would like to have your child evaluated for special education services.
Once you are ready to move forward with the evaluation, you will schedule the initial appointment with the school district. If you have an EI team, they will also provide information regarding your child’s current skills in each developmental domain- cognitive, social-emotional, expressive language, receptive language, fine and gross motor, and adaptive (daily living such as feeding, dressing, toileting). As part of the evaluation, you will be asked to complete a lot of paperwork in the form of questionnaires in addition to bringing your child in for direct testing. In some cases, the school district may want to observe your child in their daycare or preschool setting (if applicable) to get a better picture of how they participate in a group. This observation can add a lot of valuable information for the district to understand your child’s learning style.
The Evaluation Is Done….Now What?
Once the evaluation is complete, the school district will notify you and set up a meeting to share the results. The results will indicate whether or not your child qualified for special education services with the school district. If your child qualifies, the school district will specify what areas your child qualified in and what services are recommended. Areas your child may qualify in could include: cognitive, social-emotional, fine motor, gross motor, adaptive, receptive language, and expressive language. Depending on the area your child would benefit from additional support in (e.g., special education, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy), will dictate the type of specialist who works with your child. The specialists that provide additional supports could include a Special Education Teacher, Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP), Occupational Therapist (OT), and Physical Therapist (PT).
Developing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
Once it has been determined that your child qualifies for services, the school district will work with you to develop and Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP is a legal document outlining what services and supports your child will receive, in what setting they will be provided in, goals and objectives your child will be working on, and how often your child will be receiving support from each specialist. The IEP is reviewed annually but you can ask for progress reports at any point in time to understand how your child is doing.
Parents are an integral part of the IEP development and process. There is often a lot of legal jargon that gets thrown at you with an abundance of paperwork and documents. It is best practice for providers to share information with you in parent-friendly language, though unfortunately, that important piece can sometimes get lost. If something does not make sense, speak up and get clarification. YOU are the one who gets to decide what and how things are worked on. If you do not agree, say something! You do not have to sign the document until you feel comfortable and confident with the goals and service plan. We know it can be hard to speak up, AND, we want to remind you that you are your child’s first teacher, YOU know them best. So, jump into the driver’s seat and take control. Advocate for what you believe is in your child’s best interest. 💙
When Does My Child Start?
Once the IEP is completed, the school district will determine your child’s start date. Typically, children are eligible to begin developmental preschool on their 3rd birthday. Ahead of your child’s start of developmental preschool, you should hear from the Special Education Teacher with details regarding your child’s first day. I would also encourage you to reach out and schedule a meet and greet prior to the first day. This can help alleviate any anxieties you might be feeling as well as build a bit more familiarity and predictability for your child as they make this big transition. 😊
Remember, you know your child best. If you do not agree or something does not make sense, just ask!
Want a visual tool to help summarize each of these steps in the process? Download our free School District Transition Checklist below!
