A House in Austin is located in a two-story, Victorian house in Chicago’s Austin area. The home offers an informal space for West Side parents to meet each other, learn new skills, share experiences and learn from one another. Daytime programming is free and includes a music class, a parent chat hour, a support group for new fathers, art and reading classes for infants through 5-year-olds, meditation and yoga, even a cooking course.
There are many benefits to using a coaching approach
in EI. Research has shown coaching to be effective in helping children meet
developmental goals.
Coaching helps parents and primary caregivers:
Benefits of telehealth
include:
Your
service coordinator wants to know how therapies are going! Please keep in
contact with us if you have any questions or concerns.
Why consider
preschool? Preschool offers instruction built on social
skills, imaginative play, art, music and movement, taught alongside learning to
count and matching letters to sounds and words. Both benefit kids' readiness
for school and teaches them how to be learners. Children learn independence,
flexibility, listening and problem-solving skills.
What if my child
continues to need therapy supports? Are they ready for preschool
enrollment?
Chicago Public Schools are equipped to work with children that are not yet walking independently, are still learning how to express themselves or need help with toileting or diaper changes. When children need additional supports to get through the school day, Chicago Public Schools determines eligibility and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is created. This document is very similar to the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) that you created with your therapy team in Early Intervention except that it focuses on what supports and therapies are needed in the educational setting. In addition, you may want to consider connecting with therapies in an outpatient clinic setting. Please click here to get a listing of resources.
What is an IEP
(Individualized Education Plan)?
An
Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a plan that describes the special
education instruction, supports, and services that students with disabilities
are legally entitled to receive. An IEP is developed by you, the
caregiver and the school staff members (CPS evaluation team). The contents of
an IEP are determined by the student's needs and may include a variety of
therapies (speech, physical, occupational), social work supports a one-on-one
aide or paraprofessional, nursing supports, assistive technology and possibly
other accommodations (support with toileting, sensory breaks, etc.).
What if we change our
mind and decide our child won’t go to preschool?
Although preschool is highly recommended for almost all children, you can always change your mind! It is commonly advised that you have your child evaluated and an IEP created even if you are not sure if your child will attend Chicago Public Schools. The IEP will be good for one year which means your child may enter into the school system with supports in place should you decide to eventually enroll them. You may also be interested in getting an evaluation and IEP created even if you decide that your child will be going to a childcare setting or private school.
Where will my child
go to preschool?
Chicago Public
Schools (CPS) offers preschool for qualifying children at the age of three. The
program offers primarily half days for children based on the recommendation set
by the CPS team. In accordance to federal law, CPS attempts to assign your
child to the preschool closest to their home. There are instances when a
child’s therapy needs cannot be met at their local, home school. The next
closest school that has an opening will then be assigned. Busing is available
for children who are eligible for a half day program, and that were not
assigned to their home school. Please discuss this with the CPS evaluation team
should you be interested.
What is Extended Services? (Click to read more)
Early Intervention
recently implemented a policy for children that have birthdays between May to
August to potentially qualify for extended services. Children may have the
option to continue therapies until the beginning of the school year if they are
eligible for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) through Chicago Public
Schools. To qualify for Early Intervention Extended Services (EI/ES), the child
must: be determined eligible for early intervention, have an Individualized
Family Service Plan (IFSP), have their third birthday between May 1 and August
31 and be found eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Getting Ready for
Preschool: A Timeline
When enrolled in Early Intervention, getting ready for preschool begins when your child is 2 ½ years old (30 months). With your written permission, your child’s Early Intervention service coordinator will share your child’s developmental reports to the Chicago Public School’s preschool evaluation team. These developmental reports will give the evaluation team some background on the progress your child has made as well as the areas in which they may need future, additional support. You will then receive an informational call from the School Entry Support Specialist (from CPS) and a representative from Early Intervention. This call aims to provide families with a brief overview of preschool and the transition process. Following this call, you will receive an email with a written summary of the conversation as well as a link to a virtual CPS informational session. This virtual session is offered to parents that are considering CPS preschools. It provides a more in-depth explanation of the preschool transition process as well as gives caregivers an opportunity to ask questions.
School Entry Support
Specialist for Chicago Public Schools:
Gina Dalpra
Office Number:
773-553-1878
Email: gvdalpra@cps.edu
Your service coordinator
is available to answer any questions related to the transition from Early
Intervention to Chicago Public Schools.
Please use the link below to access transition meetings
Early Intervention to Early Childhood Preschool Transition Meeting
When: Monthly,
the last Tuesday from 1-2:15 p.m.
Where: Google Meeting ID: meet.google.com/fkt-jyqk-qgc
The
meeting will also be hosted in Spanish, monthly, last Tuesday from 2:15- 3:30 p.m.
ID JUNTA en español : meet.google.com/fkt-jyqk-qgc
Please contact Roberta Hansen or Iwona Parkel with any additional
questions.
Iwona Parkel (Parent Liaison): 312-942-8485
Roberta Hansen (LIC Coordinator): 312-942-7863
STARNET offers parent workshops and trainings that focus on
young children with disabilities. They help caregivers learn more about a
child’s specific disability as well as promote an understanding of what
services might be available through the early childhood community. In addition,
they also offer a lending library.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information to parents and caregivers on how to look for developmental milestones and what to do if you are worried about your child’s development or think there’s a problem.
Please view the YouTube video for
more information:
Please see the link below for the CDC’s Developmental
Milestones:
All Hands Health Network helps families
link to resources in the Chicago area. This site has a specific interest in
connecting families from Belmont-Cragin and Austin (60639 and 60651) with
social service organizations, food pantries, housing providers and governmental
agencies and departments. You can browse by category using the website and
entering your zip code. All Hands Health Network can also provide support by
telephone, (312) 971-3044.
Please see link below for more information:
Rise Up 4 Autism is hosting free, virtual lectures for parents on September 30th from 7-8 pm. Interested? Please use the link below to regis...
