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Special Education Blog
Nov 23, 2009
Posted in: Blog
Participating in this grant has caused me to reflect on the transition process for students entering kindergarten in MSAD 72.Building Relationships
Participating in this grant has caused me to reflect on the transition process for students entering kindergarten in MSAD 72. My involvement with families and children receiving CDS services begins in the fall, almost a year before students actually enter school. Our initial conversations with case managers help us understand some of the planning we may need to do in our schools to accommodate a child’s special needs related to areas such as staffing, modified structures, or adaptive equipment. As the year progresses, students are invited to various kindergarten visitation days and families have a chance to meet informally with the kindergarten teachers and specialists. We begin to exchange student information with CDS personnel and the different preschool programs and plan for the transition meetings in the spring. We work collaboratively with case managers to be sure to invite key individuals involved in a child’s program to participate in that initial meeting.
I am always hopeful that parents recognize their importance in planning for their child’s first year in school. Parents know their children best and what they share is one of the most important first steps in building a relationship between home and school. I want parents to know their child’s success is equally important to us and we will have the supports in place that are necessary to build on that success in this new learning environment. The decisions we make at the transition meeting are our first efforts at collaboration and team building. The “K-12 Journey” that begins with transition is really all about trust and building a relationship with families. Everything follows from there.