Kindergarten Enrollment Season in NYC is Jan. 9-March 2

You might have heard that all parents—including those that have preschoolers with disabilities—must participate in the application/enrollment process.

But what do you do if you’re not sure what’s next?

 Don’t worry—nothing you do now is final, and few parents can be certain what is best this far in advance. Your task right now is to simply secure your right to kindergarten and expand your choice by going through the application process. In April you will learn which school accepted your child. By that time, you will know more about your child’s progress, and have additional information in the form of new updates from preschool providers, the results of a classroom observation, or a new evaluation report. When you attend your child’s IEP meeting in the spring, bring a copy of your acceptance letter or a list of schools you applied to.

Parents are not obligated to send their children to a school unless it is able to provide the services or program that was recommended on the kindergarten IEP. The Office of Student enrollment will try to place your child at the school where they accepted him/her. If the services or class that your child needs are not available there, the Office of Student Enrollment and District 75 (where applicable) are responsible for finding a school and offering it to you by letter. Each child’s recommendation for special education services must be individually determined and be appropriate. And the Department of Education must consider, and have available, the full continuum of special education services.

And remember, your child’s rights have not changed under the law. Each child’s recommendation for special education is individually determined and must be appropriate. While the vast majority of students with disabilities will be educated in community schools, by no means will that mean all children. For some, their individual “Least Restrictive Environment” could be a full time special education class.

You make the difference! Parents should expect to participate fully as a member of the IEP team and advocate for appropriate placements as they always have.

Please be sure to call us at RCSN if you need help, and check out our training menu to attend one of our Turning 5 workshops.