Celebrating our children’s upcoming transitions, like birthdays, is often filled with laughter, fun, and lots of cake — but educational transitions, like to a whole new school, are often a different story. These exciting milestones in our kids’ lives can also bring plenty of fear and uncertainty — for both them and us. Whether we’re preparing a move to a new grade level or school, or transferring to a new school district, each move brings new challenges — from lockers and playgrounds to adjusting to new routines, and preparing for college.
While our kids might be stressing over navigating a new campus, making friends all over again (which can be tough at any age), adjusting to new teachers, or figuring out what to do after graduation, we can’t stop thinking about their worries — plus that looming transition IEP. Whatever milestone is coming up, the IEP process will include transition IEP meetings to help ease your child into their new environment and guide the way for a smooth and successful transition into the next big thing.
For families of kids with disabilities, these transitions can bring extra challenges. But don’t worry — we’re here to help you navigate these transitions with confidence and make the process as smooth as possible.
Dive into everything you need to know to prepare for your child’s big educational transitions — whether the next one is in a few weeks, or in a few years. We cover IEP transition meetings, school tours, IEP summary of performance, Individual Transition Plans, and more!
- Transferring School Districts with an IEP
- Choosing a Preschool and Preparing for Your Child’s First IEP
- Making the Transition to Kindergarten with an IEP
- Making the Transition to Middle School with an IEP
- Making the Transition to High School with an IEP
- The Transition to Adulthood
- IEP Summary of Performance (SOP) 1o1
- Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) 101
- 12 Frequently Asked Questions about High School IEPs and the Transition to Adulthood
Add goals to your Undivided account → If you see this while reading an article, it means we have a step-by-step guide for Undivided members. Click the “Add to Roadmap” button to add the goal to your account and get started. Find goals for transitioning to middle school, high school, adulthood, and more in our articles this week.
Download our free, printable school tour checklists → During an educational placement transition, it’s important to take a tour of your child’s prospective school(s) so that you can get a sense of the teachers, the classroom, and how well students with disabilities are (or are not) included. Undivided members can download our printable school tour checklists for preschool and K-12 — perfect for jotting down notes and keeping track of key questions during school tours or classroom observations.
As one of our parent members told Undivided: “We have gained so much from using Undivided’s services including help with IEPs, insurance navigation, Regional Center, Self-Determination, finding help and care for our kids — and our Navigator support is unmatched! Undivided is worth every penny, and even more!”
📌Are you your child’s IHSS parent provider?
Note that your 40 annual hours of IHSS sick pay will expire on June 30. The sick pay is above and beyond your child’s hours and does not count against your weekly max. If you have not used the sick hours by June 30, they will disappear, so make sure to claim them. The sick pay is claimed in a separate place from your regular timecard. Scroll down to the section on sick pay in this article for instructions!
Plus: the Center for Caregiver Advancement is offering another paid training opportunity for IHSS providers beginning in June! If your child’s Medi-Cal managed care plan is LA Care, you can take a training course on essential caregiver skills such as proper body mechanics, oral care, infection prevention, nutrition, CPR certification, and how to avoid visits to the emergency room. The course includes one 3.5-hour Zoom class per week for 10 weeks, and you’ll receive a $500 stipend upon completion. To register or get more information, call or text Irene Yee at (213) 703-0998, or email ireney@advancecaregivers.org.
Join us for expert office hours → This week, we’re in office hours with Non-Attorney Education Advocate Karen Ford Cull on Wednesday, March 19 at 12:00 p.m PT. Karen’s focus is on inclusion, so if you have questions about helping your child access general education, be sure to attend! If you’re not an Undivided member yet, get started here to join us for office hours every week!
Tune in: Undivided Conversations: Navigating Transition IEPs → When your child is moving from preschool to kindergarten, or to middle or high school, your school will hold a transition IEP meeting to set your child up for a successful move. Join us Friday, March 14 at 12:00 p.m. PT on our Facebook page for a deep dive conversation with Dr. Sarah Pelangka, BCBA and education advocate, who will take you through your transition IEP and how to introduce your child to their new team and school.
Looking for recommendations from other parents for summer camps, respite agencies, ABA providers, and much more? Join our private parents-only Facebook group and tap into our community’s shared experiences→
What can you expect from your transition IEP meeting? Listen to this quick explanation from education advocate Dr. Sarah Pelangka→
Undivided Navigator Jen helped represent Southern California at The National Fragile X Foundation 21st Annual Advocacy Day! Check it out on our Instagram→
Our hero, disability activist Judy Heumann fought for Section 504, which is now under threat. Check out our LinkedIn for ways to get involved in defending 504→
