Okay. So, good night everybody. Happy Tuesday. Um, I hope everybody's in an air conditioned space cuz I did not expect I don't think any of us expect the weather to be what it is today. We appreciate it. It's just
too early for this. Um, so welcome to our um, special education subcommittee for CC20. Um, if I could have our translators um, translate. So we're going to start with our Spanish lineup. Quadro uno.
I can gra forward on mute. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Um, can we have our Arabic interpreter? >> Um, sure. This message will be for
people speaking in Arabic. Um, Arabic announcement is completed and a Mandarin interpreter. >> Okay. The following message will be in Mandarin. Okay, thank you. >> Thank you so much. Um and we would like
to um introduce um tonight we're going to have a presentation from include NYC and our facilitator for the presentation is Johanna and Joanna and Spinato and Joanna you take it away. Thank you so much. Um and thank you
everyone. Welcome. Welcome. I know that more families uh will be joining us. Um I just want to take a pause to thank thank everybody for joining us today. It is such a nice lovely sunny day. I agree a little too soon for this hot weather, but we appreciate it. Um I also want to
take the time to thank CSE 20 for providing me the space um to share with everyone. Um and thank you to the interpreters as well. Okay. So, um welcome to transition from early intervention to prechool special education. Um I know that we may have
families that may be um at with with a different process. They may be thinking about early intervention or they may be making that transition to preschool special education. Um but I do want to thank everyone for um taking the time to join. Okay. So, um just a little bit
before we get started. Um just want to introduce myself again. And my name is John Espinosa. Um I'm a resource and referral specialist for um Brooklyn Faith Center. Um aside from my professional role, I'm also the parent
um of two little boys, ages nine and three years old. And the three-year-old is the one that helps me get my workout every day running after him. Um so yes, that's a little bit about myself. Um if you would like to introduce yourself in the chat, please feel free to do so. Um,
you could share your name, the age of your child, um, what's your role, if you're a caregiver, a professional. Um, it'll be really nice to see who's with us today. Okay. Um, a little bit sooner. I was getting my camera was my internet
was a little wonky, so I don't want to risk it. So, I'm going to turn off my video um, so that we don't lose connection. And this flows great. Okay. All right. There we go. Uh I won't I'm going to be checking the chat as well as we go. Um so yes, please feel
free to introduce yourself. Um and welcome welcome again. Okay, so let's get started. So before we start, um we do have to review this disclaimer which says the resources shown are designed to provide
helpful information. resources are provided for instructional use purposes only and do not constitute nicid endorsement of any vendor, author or other sources. To the best of our knowledge, um the resources provided are
true and complete. Okay, so we're going to continue. Um so I just want to know that this is a training from New York State. Um so New York City details may differ from what is displayed on this slide. Um but I'll make sure to note any
discrepancies um like that. Okay. So that brings us to today's goals. So for today um the goal is to become more familiarized with what is the role of early intervention program and the
committee on prechool special education and how it relates to the transition process. We're also going to be talking about that transition process. Um, and when I talk about transition, in other words, it means the change that happens when a child moves from early
intervention to preschool special education services. Okay. Um, so we're also going to review timelines, vocabulary, and acronyms that you may come across um, which um, which may be
related to this topic. And I do want to apologize ahead of time. uh special education you will find a lot of different acronyms as you can see here in the screen I uh EIP CPSE but um don't not to worry because we did share
resources with everyone so that you can please go back um to these resources at your own time we may share a lot of information so it does take time to process um and digest all the information um so yes um okay and lastly
we're going to talk about what are the roles of the family or caregiver which is a huge huge part of this process um in the role of the provider and the committee on preschool special education.
Okay, we're going to continue. Um so before we get into um the differences between differences and similarities between early intervention and preschool uh special education services, I do want to share that um I
believe the you guys will be receiving the materials after the presentation. So you will have the PowerPoint, you will have um worksheets that go with this presentation. um also a tool called all About Me, which is a great worksheet um that helps
you write important information about your child. So this tool helps you think what is it that I would like professionals that are going to be working with my child to know about my child. Um so that's a all about me worksheet that we share we will share
with everyone and we will also share the acronym decor called alphabet soup. Right? So that's just a little fun activity um that has to do with the acronyms that you will come across with. Okay. Um Okay. So now we're going to talk about early intervention and
preschool special education services. And I would just like to ask um if there any families here today that are currently going through any of these process. Um sorry. What have you heard about early intervention or preschool special education? So we're going to
take a pause. I do want to check the chat. Yes, thank you for u mentioning that. Feel free to ask questions in the chat as well. Okay. So, yes, please I welcome any um
anything you would like to share in the chat. So, let's get started with early intervention. Um it is important to know that each system has its own eligibility um requirements. They provide different
services. So if there's one thing you will carry with you today is that knowing it's important to know what uh system you are are applying for and what that entitles. Okay. So let's get started with early intervention. So
early intervention is a program that is offered through the New York State Department of Health for infants, toddlers um who have who can who have a confirmed disability or an established developmental delay and that could be uh
delayed in physical, cognitive, communication, social, emotional or adaptive development. Okay. And the eligibility for to see if the child qualifies for these services is by way of um having an
evaluation. Okay, we'll talk a little bit about that. Um so early intervention offers uh free supports. These services are free of cost to families. Um and again these are services for children from birth to age
three. So when you think and you hear about early intervention, I want you to keep in mind that these services are for children from birth to age three. Okay. Um so again, this program is offered to children who may not be reaching their
developmental milestones um such as learning, playing, growing, talking or walking um compared to other children their age. Okay. So the nice thing about this program um is that it works with
the family to set meaningful goals for the child and to create a service plan to help the child and the family meet those goals. Right? So this is an this is a great example of how the family works um with the service coordinator
and and other professionals so that the child can get the services and they can um make progress. Okay. So other services that this program provides can be physical uh occupational and speech therapy. Um also there's supports for
families such as support groups and counseling um in the Chinese vision services, assisted technology and um any other psychological services. Okay. So when we talk about early intervention, one thing to keep in mind is that the
services are provided by agencies in contract with the New York City Department of Health. Okay. Um so that's important to keep in mind. Okay. So why is early intervention key? Um in my work with families during phone calls, we do
have a helpline that I will share information later on. We really really emphasize the importance of early intervention. Um research shows that younger that the younger a child is when they get the help or the services for
any delays the better the outcome may be. Okay. So I cannot stress that enough. Um that's the importance of early intervention. Okay. So how do we make a referral? I apologize for the outside noise. Um how
do we make a referral? Um so it's important to note that as a parent the caregiver sometimes we may have that gut feeling right sometimes as a parents or families we may feel hm something is something is not right something is going on so we have that gut feeling for
a reason u for example when my child was 2 years old um I remember taking him to his child well visits to the pediatrician um and I know the pediatrician will often ask um how is he doing you have any concerns with his development
Um he will also ask questions such as can he say two to three words sentences. Um so that's all those questions kind of helped me think a little bit as well and I realized that compared to my first born um he his his speech wasn't there
yet. Um he didn't have the total amount of words that he should be having at that age. Um and it of course is important to note that all children develop at their own pace. Um, but it's always good to also check in with your pediatrician and of course like I mentioned we all all have that gut
feeling. Um, so through that I was able to get um a referral for early intervention um and I started the process. One thing I want to note is that you do not need a referral uh from the doctors to request um or get a
referral yourself for early interventions. Families have that option um yourself. So you can refer your child and we're going to talk a little bit about the ways um that you can do that. Okay. Um so that's just an example. Um
okay, sorry. So um just briefly, there are different ways a family can make a referral. One way is by calling 311 and asking for early intervention. Um, another new thing that came uh that recently came up is applying through the
New York City Early Intervention Program referral form portal. I apologize for the long name, for the long title. Um, but we will um I will share this with you as well. And what I like about this portal is that it takes you through the
questions. You put in your child's information. It's also available in different languages. um and it goes at your pace, right? So, I do encourage families to um go over this portal. It is very helpful and is another option on
how you can refer your child. Okay. So, I will be sharing that in in a little bit as well. Okay. So, after um your child, let's say you refer your child, um they will you will be contacted, they will have an evaluation to determine
eligibility for early intervention services. Okay. Um, one thing that I want to note, um, that is very helpful for families in navigating this process and you're new to this process, there are different tools that can help families, um, learn
about about the process. If you have any questions, um, it's called a parents guide to the early intervention program. Um and actually if you're studying the process your service coordinator will share this um tool with you so that you
can review it um understand your parent rights and if you have any questions you can always reach out to your service coordinator who is the person you will be working directly with throughout this process. Okay. So I will share the parents guide to early intervention
program as well. Okay. So um going back to early intervention, if the child is found eligible for early intervention, um there will be a meeting that will be held and an individualized
family service plan will be created for your child. Okay? U please don't feel that you had to memorize all of this. As I mentioned, I will be sharing the guide with you as well. This is just to kind of give you an overview of the steps. Um
so once this plan is created it would be shared um sorry it will be um reviewed with the family every six months okay to see how the child's making progress. How do you feel about the services? What have you seen? Do you have any concerns?
Um so it's good to know that you get to review this every six months. Um some of the questions that parents ask is where can the child receive early intervention services? Um and the key word is at their natural environment,
right? Which can be the child's home. It could be um at any setting that the child and the family feels comfortable. Um so this is very important to keep in mind. So this could be also a daycare um or uh at a family home, whichever
works works best for the family. Okay. So that's a little bit about early intervention. Um, and now we're going to talk briefly about the committee on preschool special education services. So remember, early intervention is services
for children from birth to 3 years old. When we talk about the committee on preschool special education, we're talking about special education services for children that are three to five
years old. Okay. Um that's very important to keep in mind. So these services um depend on your child's needs. It may be provided um in any childhood setting which could be a preschool program, a head start, uh
child care location which can be selected by the parent. Okay. And one thing to note is that the services, the CPSC services are overseen by the New York State Education Department, Committee on Preschool Special
Education. Okay, so remember that I mentioned that it's important to know that um which system you will be working with, right? Because if we're talking about preschool special education services, you want to know who you can reach out to to um make a referral or to
follow up if you have not heard from them. That will be the committee on preschool special education services. Okay. So, how do we refer um how do we make a referral for committee on preschool special education services? Um, we're
going to talk a little bit more about this in depth, but it is important to know that the parent caregiver can write a letter um to their CPSE to request for an evaluation.
Okay, I do want to note that it's very important to put things in writing um because that lets them know the date, when did you send this letter, who did you send it to? Um, so that's very important. Um, if you were to need uh
more information or you were interested in making a referral, this is the first time you're applying for um or your child didn't have early intervention and this is the first time you're applying for uh these services for your child, you can give us a call to our helpline
and we could definitely walk you through the steps and the process. Um, and we also have templates of letters that can help you write the letter for the CPSC. Okay, I will also share information on where you can find your um committee on
preschool special education as well. Okay, so um the CPSC, the committee on preschool special education will receive your referral and then they will mail you a packet containing um a notice that
the referral was received. One very important information is consent for initial evaluation. So for both EI and preschool special education services, you need to provide consent. And this is very important. Um and this is a part
that I emphasize to the parents that as a family caregiver um you have the right to ask questions to better understand how to navigate the process. What does this mean? Um if there's anything that you were not clear about, feel free to
ask those questions. Okay. So, um once your consent um is provided, the initial evaluation um then an evaluation will take place um by the proof preschool evaluation sites in New York City. Okay. So, one thing I do want
to note is that um once you receive this packet, you will need to schedule an evaluation of one of the sites that you were provided from the packet. Okay. Um I remember that when I went through the early intervention process with my child, my the service coordinator um
helped me find um evaluation place and she helped me navigate. Um but for the committee on preschool special education services, it's a little bit more less handholding um and more of the pairing the parent staying on task with
timelines um and following up with um evaluation sites and all of that. So I do want to note that as well. Okay. So um after that um is keeping I
can I can say that keeping in mind about these timelines when can your child be eligible for um preschool special education services um can be a little tricky. So there is a tool online um called a calculator. is a New York State
Education Department um calculator which you can use to add your child's date of birth and then it tells you it gives you an estimate of the dates. So, we're going to go over that in a little bit. Okay. Um so, going back for early
intervention, if the child is found eligible, an individualized family service plan will be created. If the child is found eligible for preschool special education services, an individualized education program, also
known as the IEP, will be created. So those are two different um documents. Okay. Um so yes, please keep in mind that a difference between both of these is that no appointed service coordinator um is
that's a difference between the preschool special education services but instead a service provider um is designed to coordinate the provision of services. Okay. So um now I'm going to briefly make a
pause. I do want to I do want to share this document with everyone as you can see here. And this will be emailed to everyone as well. And this is um this is a nice tool because it talks about the comparison between
early intervention and preschool special education, right? the purpose um who's responsible for the services um eligibility for children as we mentioned the service coordination
and also um the cost to the families which again these are both early intervention and preschool special education services are free of cost to the families um and also service availability
uh for early intervention services must be available all year. Okay. For preschool special education, um it's services available 180 days during the 10-mon school year. Uh and at least 30 days during July and August for
students that are eligible for um extended school year, okay, which takes place during the summer. Um and then it talks a little bit about evaluations for both. um again so please feel free to take a look at both of
these documents um that I'm sharing okay it talks about evaluators who's responsible for the evaluations and then the written plan which is uh we spoke about the individualized family service plan for early intervention and then for preschool um special education
services an IEP will be created okay so for the IEP key. We do have a workshop itself that talks about understanding the preschool IEP document. Um I do encourage families here to visit our
website um so that you can register and um attend these workshops that provide a lot of information. Okay. So again um the review of the individ of the programs for the early intervention it would be every six
months. uh when we talk about preschool IEP, the team will meet with the f with the family um every year to review the document. Okay. So, it's important to keep those uh differences in mind.
Okay. Um again, for both the services for early intervention are to help um meet the developmental needs of eligible children and the needs of families. special education program um including special education services. they are
provided at the child's um educa it's for child's education right it's related to the ed education and academic um services and again uh for preschool special education children can also have um related services such as physical
therapy occupational therapy speech parent counseling um and with whatever else the child may need. Okay. And the last um bullet you see here is where are these services provided. So we talked a little bit about early intervention and
these are in natural environments right the child's home uh where the child typically um spends most of his day the daycare um and then I apologize the ice cream truck is passing by making its way. Um
okay. And then for preschool special education services, the services are provided in the least restrictive environment, which means um the student should be should be with students that
uh without disabilities to the most extents. Right? Okay. Um so that's a little bit of that. As I said, please feel free to go over this document. And now I'm going to go over some
resources related to early intervention with everyone. Okay. So the first one that I'm going to go over is the early intervention website that you see here. And the nice thing about uh this website is that is
available in many different languages. You just have to scroll all the way up. Oops. Sorry. You just have to scroll all the way up where it says translate and you will find all the different languages where you can access this information. Okay,
so this website provides information about early intervention um making the referral eligibility. What happens if your child is not found eligible? And it also provides um
sorry my internet is a little bit is lagging a little bit. Okay. Additional resources. So all of that helpful information you will find here in this website. The other um page that I want to share
with everyone is the New York City early intervention program referral portal. So this is the the website that I had mentioned that if you would like to refer your child, this would be the website. Um this is the portal and this
the this website is also available in different languages as you can see. So this is really great. Okay, you go back. So before you begin, it tells you information about the program.
Okay, so getting started. It also uh they will ask you to add information about your child, the referral, um your information, family information, additional child health information, review submission. So you review your
information and then you could submit the referral and then you'll get a confirmation. Okay. So, this is here for you as well. Um, if you yourself or if you know anyone that's thinking about early intervention and making that referral, uh, feel free to share this as
well. Okay. And the last one, uh, sorry, another resource that I want to share with you, um, is the early intervention steps. So, this is the the the resource that the service coordinator will share
with you. And this is the guide that talks about early intervention program. So as you can see here is available in many different languages. Okay. So we're going to open it just to take a quick look. Oh,
there we go. Okay. So this is so helpful um because again I know the one thing is to attend this workshop. There's a lot of information being shared. Um but then it's good to have be able to go at your own time and read the read information
to understand a little bit better um how the process works. As you can see here, it also gives you um the list of the acronyms that you may hear, what that means. Okay, so this is a very wonderful tool to have as well.
Okay. And then um the last one I wanted to share with you is the calculator, the IEP um 24410 calculator. So remember that keeping in mind about the dates when your child may be eligible for um
potential eligibility for CPSC services can be tricky. So you can put the date of your child, date of birth, and then it will tell you step by step. Uh so when will your child be first potentially eligible for preschool special education services? When would
you uh receive the notice? When should you send the notice to CPSC for potential eligibility by uh when would that transition conference convene by? So this is very helpful um again to have and one thing I do want to mention with
early intervention is that if that referral is not made for preschool special education services the early intervention services for your child will end once the child um turns three. Okay. Um unfortunately in our work with
families we do see a lot um and hear about that gap that happens. Sometimes family um believe that the services are just going to continue. They're going to have preschool special education services but unfortunately that does not happen automatically um and it's a
process. Um so please feel free to um use this tool as well and always speak to your service coordinator who's supposed um who who can also help you navigate this process. Okay.
So I'm going to take a pause. Um I know I shared a lot of information just to see if we have anything in the chat. Okay. Nothing yet. Okay. Okay. So, now um we're going to go ahead
and talk about planning for transition. So, we spoke a little bit about early intervention um in the committee on preschool special education, the differences and similarities. Now, we're going to talk about the process um of of transition which is moving from early
intervention to preschool special education services. Um so during this process there are changes that would take place and we will talk a little bit more about this on the presentation as well. So as you can see here in the screen um there are
three different options for when a child moves from early intervention to um committee on preschool special education. For example, um the child can transition to preschool special education, right? They can be
found eligible and uh receive those preschool special education services. The other option is the child not found is not found eligible for preschool special education services. And the third option is um connecting to
community programs or resources. Okay. Um one thing that you see here, it's important that a transition plan is developed for all children exiting early intervention program prior to their
third birthday. Okay. So, I cannot stress that enough. Um, a transition plan should be developed for all children exiting early intervention program. Okay. Sorry.
Oh, I apologize. I didn't know it was not in slideshow. Okay. Okay. So this brings us to um notification to the committee on preschool special education. Um so let's assume that your child is already receiving early intervention
services um and approaching that trans transition age which is 2 to 2 and a half. The first step in the transition process is the notification. So you as the family get to decide whether you want to refer your child to
the committee on preschool special education um the uh services uh which is the which is the the committee that handles preschool special education as we mentioned they're overseeing the services okay so as I
mentioned uh early intervention service coordinators should assist with this process I do want to know that unfortunately service coordinators We work with a lot of different children, right? And we're only humans. Sometimes
things can slip away. So, if you have not heard about this or you have not heard back in regards to the transition, um please feel free to reach out to the transition to the service coordinator for more information. Okay. Uh it's
important not to wait till the very last minute. So, a notification letter is sent to the CPSC telling that your child is approaching age three and could potentially be eligible for preschool services.
Um, so again, preschool special education services are available for children who are 3 to five with disabilities um or delays in the development that affects their learning. Okay.
Okay. So this brings us to the transition conference. Okay. So 90 days before your child's earliest eligibility for CPSE services, um you should be offer a transition conference or a transition meeting. Um this meeting
is important because it helps you understand the transition process a little bit better and what to expect and what changes will happen. Okay. Um so you should receive a notification of this conference. Um you have the right
to attend the meeting or let's say something happens and the date of the meeting does not work for you. You can also reschedu um if the time does not work for you. So you have the right also not to attend the meeting. Right? But I just want to
stress that family collaboration for this transition process is very very valuable and it can help you understand the transition process and also help professionals better understand your child as well. So overall this helps um
transition to preschool services run more smoothly. Okay. So as you can see here this conference focuses on develop a transition plan learn about the differences similarities between early intervention and CPSC
uh what will be the evaluation process be like eligibility what are the program options also transportation if let's say your child to need transportation and decide whether the child should be referred to preschool special education.
Okay. Um, and you will also learn about the timelines as I mentioned which is very very important and it also helps you begin that relationship with us with um the committee on preschool special education. Okay. Okay. So, we're going to continue.
So, this is important to know when do children transition, right? So, your child becomes eligible to transition from early intervention to preschool special education services during the year that they turn three. Okay? So, at
least 6 months before your child turns three, your child's early intervention service coordinator um should be should be beginning the transition process. Okay. Um, so as you can see here, the bullets can be a little bit confusing because
they're different dates that you see here. Um, so this is where that tool that I shared with you, the calculator can come in handy. Um, so the first one says if the child's birthday is between January and August 31st, they can remain
in early intervention until September 1st um of the year he she turns three. Okay. Um, if the child's birthday is between September 1st and December 31st, they can rem remain in early intervention
until January 2nd of the next year. Okay. Um, so again, I know this can be a little confusing, but please feel free to use that tool and most importantly, also checking in with your service um, early intervention service um,
coordinator. So the last note, the last bullet that I do want to note here is that if elleigibility for CPSC is not determined prior to the child's third birthday, early intervention services will end the
day before your child's third birthday. Okay, so that's those are just some very important timelines um to keep in mind. Um and briefly another thing that I want to mention is that sometimes things
happen, families move, they change their address, uh or even they don't their emails. If you change your home address, if you have any information, please feel free to um update that information. um because there have been cases with some of the families that we work with
where they moved and they were not able to um share this information and they did not continue the process or they say we didn't hear back I didn't hear back my child is not receiving services um so please all of that is very very important
okay um children one thing to note is also that children cannot be receiving early intervention services and preschool special educator services at the same time. Okay,
sorry. Okay, I know we're getting a little close to the end. Um, but this visual right here, as you can see, just provides um a visual of the timeline and the steps for um committee on preschool special
education services. Right? So remember we spoke about the initial referral and the parent providing that consent so that the evaluations can begin. Remember that you that consent is needed. Um then step two evaluation is done by an
approved evaluator. Right. Um and then step three, the CPS meeting is held to determine eligibility to see if the child is eligible for special preschool special education services and if so
they will develop the IEP. Okay. Um also then recommended implementation of the IEP. What services is the child recommended for will be recommended? And then remember that for preschool special education services, you will be meeting
yearly with the team, okay, to talk about the child's progress, their goals, any concerns you have, um all of that important information. Okay, so as you can see here, um you also see the the timeline. So within 60 calendar days or
received consent um evaluations are uh will once you provide that consent evaluation should happen. Um so keep that in mind. Having those timelines um in mind will also help you what's to know what to expect. Um and is also um
helpful to know as well. Okay. Just briefly a little bit about the evaluations for preschool special education services. Um as you can see here some of these include physical. So these are uh exams to assess health,
vision, hearing any uh also the immunization record, social history uh which includes your child's development history, family information, psychological which is evaluation to
test uh learning potential abilities and educational strengths and needs. Um as here another important thing here for all these evaluations your boys the family boys matters and this is where your input comes into place right
because you're going to be meeting u with the professionals and any important information you have about your child please feel free to share with them how does your child learn are they visual learners um are they tactile learners all of that is very important um
observations also will be uh taken taking place. Um, also any other appropriate assessments that the child may need. Again, this is all based on the child's individual needs. Uh, for example, let's say the child has
challenges with behavior. Um then you may also request a functional behavior assessment to to understand a little bit why is that behavior happening and if a plan and if a plan can be created um to provide support to the students and
what's the plan that's going to be in place to provide support to that behavior. Okay. Um so a behavior intervention plan may be created and this should also be included in your child's IEP. Okay. So any other evaluation that your child may need they
will also have. Okay. So this brings us to what would you like for people to know about your child, right? Your that's your child. That's as I say that's your baby. Um and you're going to be working with different
professionals. Um so what would you like for them to know? What would be helpful? What are some of the challenges that you think your child is experiencing? uh what have you discovered that works for them? Um ways my child learns which is very very important and how to read
my child's cues. Um as I mentioned we did share a very um important tool which it's called all about me which can help you kind of organize what are some information that you want to share uh with the committee on preschool special education services when you're going
through this process. Um, so these meetings can also sometimes be a little um, if it's the first time you're going through this process, you want to make sure that you don't walk away saying, "Oh, I wish I could have shared that or I forgot to mention this. This is very
important." So, this tool can help you think ahead of time and can also help you prepare to share about your child. Okay? And also, what are your child's strengths? We always always emphasize sharing about your child's strengths
because a lot can be built from that. Um and a lot of growth can come from that as well. Okay. So that's something that we share with everyone as well. Okay. So briefly um let's say your child is found eligible for preschool special
education services. As I mentioned, an IEP document will be created. Um, and the they will receive a classification and the classification will be preschool student with a disability. That's the
classification you will see all the way on the top on the first page of the first page of the child's IEP. And I know this may be a little bit difficult to visualize without seeing the actual IEP. Uh but please, as I mentioned, feel
free to take a look at our calendar. We do have workshops that talk specifically about um preschool IEP um that you can um you can register for. Okay. Um so again, in order to be eligible for
preschool special education, the student must meet the criteria criteria uh with a disability. Um so it could be u mental, physical or emotional reasons as identified as having one of the following disabilities as you see here
as defined in section 200. Okay. Um it's like I mentioned I don't want to share more information about it because it's the IP document itself. It's a lot. It's a whole workshop itself. Um, but just wanted to give you an overview of the classification they will receive if
they're found eligible for preschool special education services. Okay. Briefly, um, who are the members of the committee on preschool special education. So, as you may know, you will be working
with a team, which is very important. As a parent myself, I can say that it takes a village, right, in raising a child. Um, oftentimes you work with the school, the pediatrician, um, depending who's part of your team. So, who's part of the
committee of preschool special education? On top of the list is the parent is you, the caregiver. Um, you're a very valuable uh member of the team. Also, the general education teacher, at least one, it would be also special
education, sorry, general education teacher and a special education teacher. the chairperson for the CPSE, a parent member. Um, I'm not sure we have any families that have heard about parent members. Um, but really briefly,
the parent members are parents themselves of students that have IEPs that have been trained um to go to families to IEP meetings to provide that support. More so of emotional support, not so of like advocating on behalf of
the parent or the child. they're more there uh let's say you need help taking notes um asking questions having that extra pair of ears in the meeting. So that's what parent members um do. And if you're interesting interested in
requesting a parent member, you can do so to your child's school at least 3 days before the IEP meeting. Okay. I always say it's always good to have someone at the meetings either a family member, a friend, a parent member,
someone that knows your child that can provide that extra pair of ears. Okay. Um also the evaluator of the child will be there. Um representative can also be there as well if they're invited from from the early intervention.
Um so and and anyone else also who has knowledge um and important information about your child. Okay, that's very very important. Okay. So as we getting close to the end of the presentation, um I do want to
close with this slide that talks about the parent rights. As I mentioned, this process can have a lot of information. As parents, you may have questions. um you you also want clarity. So one of the important parent
rights is to be fully informed about the process and that could be by way of asking questions, receiving letters, emails, correspondence, there are many different ways. Okay. U
parent also have the right to be notified about all meetings at least five school days before Okay. Um, so this is another important one because it depends how are you communicating with the team, how would
you receive that notification, a letter, um, do you have a contact you have been speaking with? Um, so that's important because often times families, you want to make sure you have enough time to prepare for these meetings, right? You want to walk in there if you have
questions, an agenda, um, you want to be able to prepare for these meetings. If you um would like any guidance or assistance in how to prepare for IEP meetings, please feel free to let us u give us a call to our helpline. We can
work with you um and also also provide information on how to better prepare for the meetings. Okay. Again, let's say you get a meeting date, the date does not work for you, you can let the team know ahead of time so that they can provide another time. that is very important um
because that communication should always be there as well. Um you also have a lot of rights in participating in decision making. Uh, and this is very important because they're gonna you're going to be provided with recommendations um services for your child, but it's as
a parent, you also have the voice to speak up and say, I agree with this. Uh, I don't agree with this so much and this is the reason why or I feel that my child may benefit more from this or I'm seeing these things and or these are my
concerns. Okay, you should be included throughout this process. Okay. also information explained to you. Um let's say English is not your preferred language. Another parent right that you have is to request for
interpretation and translation. Okay, that is key because you want to be able to understand the letters that you're getting. You want to be able to understand what are what is being said during the meetings. So you have the right to request for translation and interpretation.
Okay. confidentiality as well. Uh also be able to review the records to review any records that you request such as evaluation reports, the IEP, anything that can help you um as well prepare for the meetings. Um
also the right to request for evaluation services. Um, special education has a lot of information as I mentioned, but there are a lot of different tools that can help you learn more about the process and one of those tools are the safeguard um, notice that you will
receive as well. Okay. Um, and of course the last thing is sometimes you'll be in disagreement, right? Um, things happen. You may not always agree with the team. So, it's important to know what are your rights um, if some if you come into
disagreement. Okay. Um, so there's mediation and partial hearing. Um, so the these are just some of the steps um that you can take as well, but we always always encourage um working with the school first um or your committee on
preschool special education services if there are any disagreements. Okay. All right. Um so I want to thank everyone for hanging in there with me. I know it was a lot of information. in uh so short amount of time. But I do want
to thank again for taking the time to join us. I'm sharing the our helpline number with everyone as you can see here. Um our helpline is available and we have interpreters um available for the family. So please
please feel free to call us um even if English is not your preferred language, we can connect you with an interpreter um that can uh be there and speak with you and the family educator for any inquiry you may have. Okay.
So I'm going to Okay, one second. Okay. And again um I will be sharing all these resources um as well. You did not receive it. Okay.
Did I stop sharing? Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. Yes, you did. >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Thank Thank you so much for that presentation. Um, a lot of stuff has changed because
because I'm going through you were going through the presentation. I'm like ah uh that when I went through the process like 11 billion years ago. So, you know, but it it's good to see that there's been like really great changes
and um a way to make the process more accessible and easier in a in a way. >> Yes. >> Cuz it was it was a little bit harder when my kids were were younger. >> Yeah. And that's the nice thing about the early intervention portal. I feel
like it's more accessible for families um as well because sometimes even let's say calling 311 may take some time. Um so that's something that comes in handy. Now um I I I asked a question in in the
chat. Um the transition meeting um are they always done? Are they only done in person? Can you do it virtually for that? >> Yes, that's a great question and it all depends. Um, I know I've heard some families that have done the meeting in
person, um, or virtual, but I I always emphasize if you preferred in person, you can ask. Um, it wouldn't hurt. I know some families will have that meeting in person. Um, but yes, it there's a difference. I feel like in person is a little bit more um, engaging. You can ask questions. You
understand the things a little bit better. But yes, >> um with the 2K that is in the discussion to add with the process still be like similar to like it will still be part of the 0 to3 correct.
>> That's a great question. Um and I know a lot of new information is coming up about that. Um so I can definitely circle back. I want to make sure I provide the correct information. But I know that for 3K um families should still go ahead and apply for 3K programs
um because it's important that the child is able to get a seat even if they're eligible for um preschool special education services um because if the child has a seat in 3K then they can coordinate for the child to have those services at that 3K program. uh families are still responsible for
applying for the 3K program which I know the deadline passed um for the application but still um if you have any questions about that please also feel free to let us know but I can definitely find out about the 2K program as well which is exciting the families are going
to have that does anybody have >> I I also want to commend you for saying um speaking about the translations >> because uh I when I went through the process >> like a while you know many many many
moons ago like I did did know parents that weren't given the option of having a translator their child was translating. So like one of the things I advocate for is to make sure your child shouldn't be translating anything. they should have an adult in the room that speaks your language and all the
information that you should be receiving should be translated your home language. So, I'm really really glad that you mentioned that because I don't think I don't know if a lot of parents are aware of that. >> Yeah. >> So, it's good to so they know that if if English is not your first language, it
that information should be coming home to you or should be given to you in a language that you understand. So like you you could when you're doing this process, you're comprehending what's going on so you could you know positively advocate for your child.
>> Yes. >> And and get this the services that you need. So >> absolutely. And you know even like the preschool IEP can be a little tricky and technical document to understand. It can be up to 20 pages. Um it's tricky to understand in English uh let alone in
another language. So, um, we always encourage families to request a translation interpretation. That is one of your parent rights. Um, so it's very important because you want to be able to understand the letters that you receive because they're going to have a lot of helpful uh and important information
about your child and any meetings that you have coming up. >> We have a question. >> Hi, thank you so much. I have a question. I love what you guys are doing. Very nice. How do I write a referral letter requesting an evaluation for my child and what document should I
keep or acknowledge once it's submitted? >> So this is Thank you for your question. This is for the preschool special education services. Correct. >> Yeah. Yes. >> Yes. Um so it's important that as I mentioned you find out who is your uh committee on preschool special
education. That's the first step. Um, and like I said, we have a template about how to write the letter. It would be your information, your child's information, um, how you prefer to be contacted, phone call, email,
and the reason of uh, your request. So, I'm going to share one second this the website for the CPSE so you can have their contact information. One second. And I'm going to see if I can reshare my screen so that I can show you that as
well. How would the letter look like? Okay. Sorry, my internet is a little takes longer when the camera is on for some reason. Okay, so I'm going to share my screen.
One minute. Can you see my I'm sharing the screen? >> No, we can't see anything. >> Okay, one second. Oh, and I lost zoom. Okay, because of time, I apologize. I can't
for some reason it's not working. I'm going to share the link where you can find the sample letter. Let me know if you can open it or if you want to open it and share. That'll be helpful as well. >> Okay. So, I'm going to share right here. >> Okay. Perfect. And just last question.
Thank you so much for that. What happens after the six-month review? Final question and thank you. >> Yes. So that's the six-month review is that's the differences and similarities, right? So you meet with the team after the six-month review to see how how it's
going, if the plan is working, have you seen any obser uh changes, you have any concerns, anything needs to be adjusted, would you like any new services? It's pretty much that time to check in with the um early intervention team to see how things are going.
Now, with the IEP for the preschool special education services, you meet with them every year um to see how are they making progress with their goals. They're two different documents, right? Um, one thing I do want to note is that sometimes families wait for that six
months or for that one year, but if you see that things are not happening, you have concerns, there's new information, you can always request a meeting either before the six months or before the year for the IEP or the early intervention. Um, so that like I mentioned that
communication should always be there. Um, and you want to make sure you want to see you want to check in with the therapist, the service provider, are the services working, all of that. Um, so yes, that's a little bit about that.
>> Okay. >> Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. And before I leave, um, sorry, would you were you able to see it >> briefly? >> Yeah, we see it now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. So, please I encourage everyone please visit our website include NYC.
You're going to find a lot of um helpful resources. This one is the sample letter for referral for first time evaluation, but this is um just an example where you're going to send it to the child's name, date of birth,
your name, and it gives you all the steps as well. >> Okay, that's great. >> Okay, and oh, sorry. Let me turn off my video. Maybe a little be a little bit better. Okay. And the last thing I'm going to
share is where you could find your CPS. >> Yes, I was going to ask you that. Yeah. >> Okay. So, okay. This can also work. So this is a whole different topic but so that you are aware there are
committee there the there's a preschool special education committee and then there's the school age which are for children five and up. Okay. So you will find here the CPSC for what district you um you belong to. >> Okay.
I think that was part of the the um the links that I shared last month. Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. That's great. >> Yeah. So, if you have if you need any help um again with the process the letter, feel free to let us know.
And I'm going to share this in the chat as well. >> Great. >> Okay. >> I have a question. >> Um how can we advocate for more after school for special education and summer horizon? For summer horizon, we only
have two in our district. Yeah, that's a great question. Um, summarizing again, I hear a lot of different reviews from families. Um, >> for some families, it may work, from others, it it may work. It also depends
on your child's needs. Um, and how would if they have an IP, how are they going to get the services, which they're supposed to during summer rising as well. Um, one thing I would say is to directly speak to your child's school. Um, because they're they're the ones that are supposed to help you with the
process. Um, if you need more services, how can you go about that? But I would say the first contact person is your child's school. If there's anyone you speak to directly that you can trust at the school or you've been in communication with um, and also not waiting um, because the summer is around
the corner, so you do want to meet with them or speak and ask your questions before Um yeah, I don't I don't think any of us have any other questions. >> Joanna, thank you so much for all the information. Like, you know, this I'm so
glad you were able to come this month. >> No, thank you so much for having me here. And this is just scratching the surface. There's a lot of information. Oh, girl, I know. But >> yes, I we always say it's like going to school for special education to learning
about the different transitions and ages. Yes, I agree. >> Cuz I'm cuz I'm I'm I'm a parent member and um and my my older um student in high school um has an IEP. So, like I've
been through from early intervention to preschool to um elementary, middle school, high school. >> Yes. >> So, we're looking into um and my daughter's a junior, so like now we're into the the college
>> transition. Yeah. Yeah. >> That's a big one. >> I know. I know. I know. It's >> that is a big one. Yeah. But yeah, thank you everyone. Um we have a lot of events happening throughout the year as well. We have the outdoors for autism coming up.
>> Yeah, I you I saw the flag that you add that to um our um CEC website to share out as well. >> Great for that. >> And please feel free to send us like any information that we to share on our website and share it with our families.
>> Yes, definitely will. Thank you so much everyone. Hope you have a great rest of your evening. >> Good night. >> Take care. Bye. All right. So, thank you everyone. It's >> When's our next Oh, oh, our next meeting will be May 5th. Cinco de Mayo. >> Okay.
>> What you doing in your house is your business. Um All right. But um and we're going to be having um a presentation by um the DA team, just special education department for um the NYC public schools. So you're
going to be able to meet like all like their staff and and get to know like who is in what department. So like if you do need to escalate any issues that you are having, you will have the contact information of that person and they'll explain like what each department does.
So that's that's our plan for May. And um yeah, and we're looking into see um about figuring out like depending on the um the amount of um people that show up to this meeting if we might want to um
scale back to do it like every two months instead of every month. But there was a lot of information and a lot of goals that we had from the last two meetings that we wanted to at least be able to meet for our community. So like they had information before we went into
the summer. So in when September came, they they could at least have an idea of where they want to go and the resources that they need. So we're meeting we're checking up some check boxes. So, >> hi Christina. Do you want to introduce
yourself to our families? And also we need her to send it out to title one people >> and and Christina we're going to share this information with um with you as well so you can send out to your title one um reps as well
but I don't want to put you on the spot if if you're unable to unmute but Christina is our um DPAC chair for district 20 for our title one schools. All right. So, it is 7:11. That's so funny cuz it's 7-Eleven around the
corner. Um, so we're going to um close out our meeting for um for this month and we'll see everyone next month, May 5th at 6:00 and we want to thank our translators for being here and um any of
our um participants. I think um is is Oh, he's not we had a couple um one of our elected officials here. So, we want to thank Les Chan for being here and um good night everybody and please go out and enjoy this really hot weather.
>> Have a nice night everybody. >> Thank you. Yeah, I'm here. I just uh thank you for inviting me. I learned so much. Um yeah, and and definitely looking forward to collaborating with you more for the remainder of the the school year.
Thanks, Christina. Have a nice night, everybody, and a and a good April. See you guys. Um, we have our CC meeting tomorrow, so hop on that, too. Okay, good night everybody.