Planning for the future can be overwhelming. The Family Engagement in Special Education team is here to walk you through all the transitions with your student who receives special education services.
Family Engagement in Special Education is a collaborative project of The Arc Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Education. We help to empower parents and caregivers and increase family engagement in special education. As your child moves through the school years, there will be many transitions. We are here to help you as you navigate them all.
Whether it is starting kindergarten, moving from middle school to high school, or transitioning from high school into adult life, our team has pulled together the resources to help you through it all:
- Transitioning from TEIS to Pre-School – When children transition from TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Services) into Preschool Services in the special education system in public schools, it can be a challenging time. Families do not always know where to begin. We lay out a few helpful tips for getting started so you can rest easy knowing you will have your ducks in a row before your child turns 3 so you will be ready to leave behind the world of home-based services for a whole new world in a classroom!
- Transitioning from Pre-School to Kindergarten – For many families understanding the transition from Pre-School to Kindergarten can be an adventure. This can be even more challenging if your child receives special education services. You don’t necessarily know where to begin. We share some helpful tips for getting started so you can rest easy knowing you’ll have your ducks in a row when your child turns 5 and enters the “big kid” world of elementary school!
- Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School in Special Education – Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School in Special Education can be a particularly tricky time in your child’s educational journey if you aren’t prepared for the big changes that come along with this. New BIG school, new (and more frequent) transitions, new responsibilities, etc. We understand that it can seem daunting, but with the right preparation you and your child can get through this time successfully and as smoothly as possible. In this blog post, we are sharing some tips for navigating this transition along with some additional resources that you might find helpful.
- Transitioning from Middle School to High School in Special Education – This is the final big transition before your child will transition out to the real world. Congratulations on making it this far! While Middle School was probably the trickiest as far as figuring out a new way of scheduling classes and walking around to different classrooms throughout the day, now that your child has that experience under their belt, high school should be a breeze, right? Well, if you prepare yourself with these transition tips, it should be a very smooth transition for all involved.
- Secondary Transition – Secondary Transition refers to the journey from high school to adult life. A student who receives special education services also has a transition plan with measurable outcomes. In Tennessee, the transition plan begins at age 14 and continues until the student earns a regular diploma or exits high school the year they turn 22. However, teachers, students, and families can begin planning even earlier to learn about options and possibilities and to coordinate supports and services. Preparing for adult life means making decisions about getting more education or training, finding employment, living independently or with supports, and being connected and active in one’s community. It may mean applying for government benefits, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and Medicaid waiver services. We can help walk you through all of this and more.
In addition to the resources above, we hope you will join us for one of our regional transition events! Events times and details can be found at https://familyengagementtn.com/events/.
Whatever the future has in store for you and your family, we are here to help you stay informed about your options. Our Family Engagement Team Regional Specialists are dedicated to helping families across the state! Our team consists of individuals with backgrounds and experience as educators, mental health professionals, parents, caregivers of individuals with disabilities, and disability-related fields. The Family Engagement team members strive to provide knowledge and support from both educator and parent perspectives.
If you have any questions or for more information about Family Engagement in Special Education, please reach out at specialeducation@thearctn.org.