Prepare for your IEP
The IEP process can be overwhelming and intimidating. You want the best for your child and don’t want to make missteps. You may be unsure of what to ask and when to challenge recommendations. Our free downloadable prep packet will help you prepare for your next IEP meeting and advocate for your child with confidence.
Setting the stage
Before you dive into the prep packet, we want to set the stage with perspective that is crucial, given that oftentimes the focus for families raising kids with disabilities and learning differences is on what kids can’t do.
We believe in strength-based IEPs, which means building a plan focused on a child’s skills and strengths rather than focusing on their deficits. This approach helps educators develop appropriately challenging goals and objectives in their curriculum, and it ensures that the services and supports provided for your child work to enhance skills and eliminate barriers to learning. There is more information related to strength-based IEPs in our IEP prep packet, but these reframes help illustrate the impact of strength-based IEPs.
Inside our free IEP prep packet:
In addition to learning how to transform your child’s IEP with a strength-based approach, our IEP prep packet also includes:
- Checklists, templates, and printables to streamline your IEP preparation
- Answers to commonly asked IEP questions
- Information and resources related to educational placements, inclusion, accommodations, and IEP goals
- Health and emergency plans to include in your IEP
- Guidance on what to do beyond the IEP meeting: reviewing before you sign, following up on services, what to do if you disagree, and more
Overwhelmed? We get it.
If you live in California, we can help you customize your child’s roadmap, no matter where you are in the journey.
We know how to help families raising kids with disabilities and learning differences because our team has been there: We wrestled with uncertainty and fear over new diagnoses. We felt overwhelmed and isolated going down internet rabbit holes in search of information. We felt the stress of caregiving, the pressure of not enough hours, the professional and financial loss of needing to leave a job in order to try to tackle navigating benefits, services, insurance, and more.
The good news? We used all of this collective experience as fuel to build a team of experts to bring families support, solutions, and relief.
Introducing: the Undivided platform
Our innovative software helps you develop a custom roadmap for your child’s care—including goals, documents and notes, step-by-step guides, and resources—tailored to your family’s unique needs.
What is a Navigator?
Lifeline. Lifesaver. Mentor. Friend. Safe space. These are just some of the ways families describe our Navigators.
Our Navigators are parents who leverage their own personal experience, as well as insights from working with thousands of other families navigating similar paths to care for their children. Each dedicated Navigator is supported by a team of researchers, advocacy experts, and public benefits specialists who all thrive on finding solutions and opportunities for Undivided families.
To experience this kind of 1:1 support for yourself, sign up for a Kickstart, a free 10-day period in which you’ll be paired with a dedicated Navigator who will work with you over two Zoom sessions and unlimited messaging. After your free Kickstart period, you can pursue your customized roadmap on your own or sign up for a paid membership that provides access to all the digital tools of the Undivided platform plus the guidance of your Navigator to help you find your wins faster than you could do alone.
Related Resources
If you’re looking for additional resources, we have you covered. Our editorial and research teams work with interdisciplinary experts to bring our community a wealth of science-backed information and compassionate advice.
Here are some key resources related to supporting kids who need an IEP.
