Registering for Junior or Senior Kindergarten:

During the spring months many parents will be registering their children for school for the first time. This is an exciting time for most children, but for families of children with communication disorders there is often fear and concern about the availability of the services that their child needs. Some parents even consider not sending their child to Junior Kindergarten or Senior Kindergarten. For a child with speech and/or language delays, who will require program changes at school to be successful, it may be in the child's best interest to get enrolled at school as soon as possible. This means that the child will get a stimulating program and the school will become familiar with their needs.

It is very important that parents are informed and proactive in planning for the start of school. For children currently receiving preschool services, the Speech - Language Pathologist (SLP) should be helping you to prepare for the transition to school. The SLP will be able to tell you about the local process for obtaining school services and help you to develop a Transition Plan. The development of transition plans for each child who is five years old is required by the provincial preschool speech and language initiative. However, many communities have not yet developed a formal preschool to school transition process and there is little consistency across the province.

Meeting with school staff:

The school principal is usually the key connection to special education services, professional support services and the School Health Support Program. It is, therefore, very important that the Principal be provided with information about your child's special needs when you register to start school. Some school boards are willing to start the referral process for services soon after registration and may arrange for Special Education staff to contact you and get permission to talk to current service providers. This may result in a Case Conference at which the family and the preschool service providers meet to share information and discuss the child's needs and available resources.

Preparing for a Case Conference

In addition to providing copies of reports and assessments, bring information which describes the whole child. Make sure everyone is aware of your child's strengths.

• Bring a picture of your child

• Talk about one of your child's recent successes

• Describe your family

• Include a drawing or art work prepared by your childThere are a number of things that a parent can do to ease the transition into school. Firstly, the family will need to have good records of past assessments and copies of reports which they can share. The school staff will need a summary of the child's history and identified needs and Release of Information consents in order to talk to service providers who have been involved with your child.

Secondly, the family will need to find out what services are currently offered by the school board. Services vary across the province and may include assessment, consultation and programming services by a Speech-Language Pathologist, services from a Speech Teacher, enhanced language and literacy programs or special language classes.
 

Getting Ready to Start School - Developing a Transition Plan
Preschool SLP or Childcare Staff Responsibilities	Parent Responsibilities	School Responsibilities
Discuss when the child will start school with family in January - February of year the child is eligible	Start considering whether to start child at school this September	Invite parents of eligible children to register for JK or SK JK - 4 before December 31 SK - 5 before December 31
Provide information to family and make initial contact with school (if asked by parent)	Decide which school system (public, catholic, french or english) and find out whether JK is available	Maintain contact with preschool agencies and staff, and provide information to parents as requested
Provide school with relevant reports and assessments (with parent consent)	Sign Release of Information Consents and share copies of Doctors' reports and other assessments	Request support documentation and reports by getting consent for Release of Information from parents
Work with family and school to develop a Transition Plan	Meet with school staff to discuss school programs and placements	Meet with family and preschool staff to discuss school programs and transition plan.
Assist family in preparing child for school	Decide on school placement after visiting and reviewing options	Arrange for necessary supports and accommodations to be in place for September

Know your rights:

Finally, parents need to know their rights with regard to special education programs and services. Students have a right to have their individual needs met by the school board if they have been identified as an Exceptional Student through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (I.P.R.C.) process. Exceptional students must each have an Individual Education Plan(I.E.P.) developed based on their needs. It should be noted that students do not require identification as exceptional in order to have an I.E.P. (See the OAFCCD Fact Sheet, Preparing for an I.E.P.) Many school boards do not formally identify students with speech and language impairments alone (i.e., no other exceptionality identified) since their needs do not usually require a special placement outside of the regular classroom. This may change as parents become more informed and as the larger numbers of preschool children, who have received preschool speech and language services, enter school systems.

Parents have a right to request an I.P.R.C. to determine whether their child meets the criteria for identification as Exceptional. They must provide consent before any assessments of their child are completed. Parents also have the right to receive the assessment report (and have them explained clearly), to attend the I.P.R.C., and to participate in the development of the I.E.P.

Getting the help you need:

For many parents, getting ready for school can be a stressful time. OAFCCD can help families preparing for school by providing general information on school services, the I.P.R.C. and the I.E.P. OAFCCD also has Special Education Advisory Committee (S.E.A.C.) members in many school boards as well as local Chapters which can provide more detailed information on local services.