Special Education For Preschoolers - San Diego Regional Center

3E A R L Y S T A R T T R A N S I T I O NDear Parents,This booklet is all about special education and what you need to know tomake it a positive experience for your child. You will want to understand theprocesses and procedures that will occur, as well as your rights as a parent,in order to make decisions and actively participate in the meetings. Theremay be a number of new terms that you are not familiar with, but continuereading and the term will be explained in more detail.During the last six months that your child is in Early Start, a specific timelineof procedures is required. There will be decisions you want to participate inthat may lead up to a referral to special education and culminate in developingan Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for your child. Your partnershipwith the professionals during this process is critical. As you are an importantmember of the team and know your child best, be sure to ask any questionsyou have and provide any information you feel is pertinent.Moving from the Early Start program may be unsettling. Many things arechanging at once. You will be learning new terms and beginning relationshipswith new people. Help your child to begin his/her new experience by stayingpositive and taking care of yourself. It may help to remember that thedecisions you make now do not have to be permanent. It’s okay to makeplans and change them later if you need to.In additional to reading this booklet, you may want to talk with someone whois familiar with the special education system. You can ask your service provideror staff at the school district for more information. You may also call theExceptional Family Resource Center (EFRC) to speak to a parent who has beenthrough the process with their own child. We all want your child to progressin the upcoming years and to support you through the educational process.Your District’s Special Education Staff and EFRC