Back to school can be a crazy busy time for parents, and it can be tempting to breathe a sigh of relief when school starts. However, this is just the beginning of supporting your special needs child at school. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming, though. No one wants to wake up two weeks before the IEP meeting and discover they’ve missed something crucial and lost time to intervene.
By taking small, consistent steps each month, parents can make a significant impact on their child’s academic success and overall well-being. This blog will explore practical tips and strategies that parents can implement throughout the school year to ensure their special needs child thrives. KidvoKit will even send you monthly reminders to keep you on track!
First week of school: Tell new teachers about your child.
New year, new teachers. Back to school can be an exciting time but also can be quite a transition because teachers don’t know their new students yet. In my experience, classroom teachers often don’t even have access to IEPs on the first day of school. And certainly they haven’t memorized all the kids’ IEPs. Some parents find it really helpful to reach out to the teachers to share a bit about their child during the first week of school.
It is a very busy time for teachers so a good idea is to share some highlights in writing that you think will be particularly useful in the first couple of weeks. Some parents make a one page document with a photo of their child and some key information.
- Strengths and Support Areas: Talk about your child’s strengths and areas where they might need extra help. This will help the teacher tailor their approach.
- IEP Highlights: Ensure that the teacher is fully aware of your child’s current IEP of the most important parts of the IEP, especially accommodations critical for setting a positive relationship for teacher and child.
- Schedule Meeting: At the start of the school year, arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher to discuss their needs and IEP goals. It’s often more useful to meet after the child and teacher have a couple weeks in class together.
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September: Review the current IEP
Your child has been in school for a few weeks now. How are they settling into school? Notice any changes in your child’s behavior or performance? Any signs of summer regression?
While you want to give everyone a few weeks to get into a groove, it’s a good time to take a look through the IEP and re-familiarize yourself with the goals, accommodations and services for your child. If there’s been some early bumps, do you think they’ve already been addressed?
- Initial Concerns: Discuss any concerns or observations with the teacher to address potential issues early.
- Email to the IEP team: If you run into issues where services don’t seem to be getting delivered according to the IEP, you should inquire about this in writing (email is fine). If classroom teachers aren’t providing accommodations, first reach out to the teacher (or have your older student advocate for themselves).
- Catch more flies with honey: While it can be frustrating to have a rocky start to school, a collaborative tone often opens up the lines of communication. At the same time the school will know you are an engaged parent who is paying attention.
November to June: Brief Overview of Monthly Actions
October: Parent Teacher Conferences
- Since parent teacher conferences are super short, email teachers a week in advance teeing up the concerns so they allow time for it.
- Want the special educator to also attend? Invite them yourself.
November: IEP Progress reports?
- IEP progress reports usually come out about the same time as regular report cards. Keep an eye out and compare the progress to the goals to see if your child is on track.
- Celebrate successes and address challenges.
December: Holiday Prep
- Prepare your child for any disruptions the holiday season might bring to their routine.
January: Mid-year check in
- Consider whether the IEP goals need refining or updating. If so, request a mid-year review meeting with the IEP team.
- Was there regression over break that needs to be addressed?
February: Prepare for Standardized testing.
- Check the IEP to see what it says about standardized testing accommodations for your child. If it’s not in the IEP, it won’t happen on test day.
- Some accommodations require advance approval so make sure you ask about this with enough lead time.
March: ESY & summer planning
- Was an Extended School Year discussed at your last IEP meeting? If you think your child would benefit, reach out to the IEP coordinator to see what the school is thinking before you make all your summer plans..
- Plan summer activities that support learning and development.
April: Plan for the Next School Year
- Especially if your child is going to move to middle school or high school you should begin discussions about the next school year’s placement and goals.
- If your annual IEP review was a while ago, you may need to update the IEP to reflect the transition decisions.
May: End-of-Year Review
- Schedule a final review meeting with the IEP team.
- Set preliminary goals for the next school year.
Conclusion: Ensuring Year-Round IEP Success
By following this month-by-month plan, you can proactively support your child’s educational journey, ensuring that they receive the necessary accommodations and support throughout the school year. Staying organized and maintaining regular communication with teachers and IEP team members can make a significant difference in your child’s academic progress and well-being. Let KidvoKit assist you in this process by providing monthly reminders to keep things on track. Or get started immediately by asking your questions.
