Transition planning with the IEP team
Before the end of your child’s last year of special education preschool (PreK), the IEP team needs to determine what level of support your child needs to be successful in Kindergarten. The level of support for Kindergarten will depend on your child’s progress through PreK. While in PreK, data should be taken on your child’s progress through their IEP goals. These Progress Reports guide the team in determining what type of supports are needed for Kindergarten.
For example, it is possible that your child has progressed through their goals in PreK and mastered skills so that they are on the same level as their peers without disabilities. They may be sent to a regular education kindergarten classroom with minimal supports.
It is also possible that your child may need more supports, or even a self-contained special education Kindergarten classroom that focuses on a smaller number of student with more intensive needs.
The school district, in collaboration with the IEP (Individualized Education Program) team, determines at which school a child with special needs will attend kindergarten. The location of your child’s education is based on the distance from your home to the school, your child’s individualized needs, and the school which has the proper amount of support in place that your child requires in order to be successful.
Many times the district will complete a reevaluation before the end of preschool in order to assess your child’s present ability to function in the classroom. The presentation of the data gathered in preschool should be discussed at a transition IEP meeting. Sometimes the preschool and kindergarten teachers are present to discuss strategies, accommodations, and modifications needed for the new school environment.
This discussion should solidify the type of environment your child will enter into at the start of the next school year. The team is required, by law, to include your child with typical peers as much as possible.
Sometimes this means full inclusion in a regular education classroom, and some times it means that a student will be in a self-contained special education room with little involvement with their regular education peers.
Even when your student needs intensive supports, the IEP team will always have the goal of integrating your student with their regular education peers to the maximum extent possible.
To help prepare your child for kindergarten, you can:
Have your child visit the classroom and meet the teacher before the school year begins.
Work on self-help skills at home, such as toileting, hand-washing and dressing.
Take pictures of the school and classroom and use the pictures to talk with your child about starting kindergarten.
Arrange summer play times with other students who will be in your child’s classroom.
Include your child in a shopping trip to purchase school supplies. Most school districts will publish a list of supplies before school starts.
Begin new routines a week or so before school starts. This is especially important if bedtime and wake-up times will need to change.
Read books with your child about kindergarten
Some parents hesitate to call their preschool teacher or the elementary school to set up appointments or IEP meetngs. They worry that they’re being too assertive or getting their child off on the wrong foot. Nothing could be further from the truth! As a parent, you know your child better than anyone, and you are your child’s best advocate. When it comes to a struggling young learner, there isn’t a minute to waste.
Use every resource you can! Family, friends, and support groups (both online and in-person) can help you feel ready to adovcate for your child as they enter kindergarten.
Additionally, I am here to provide support, guidance, and education.
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