Let’s get organized!
It’s almost August and for those of us in the Northeast, back to school is right around the corner.
Can’t believe we are already talking about Back to School? Neither can we! As two Special Educators who have been in the business for a combined 35+ years, there is something so unique about August. There are days when you want time to slow down to savor the last moments of Summer. Then there are the days where you feel the excitement of new beginnings and a new school year. As teachers, as parents, as caregivers and as kids these feelings can also happen all at the same time!
As we inch closer to the new year we wanted to take some of the guesswork out of staying organized and provide some of our tips that have proven to work for many parents and caregivers over the years. We also just launched our Parent/Caregiver IEP Binder that you can download as a PDF and print (Order here)!
August is a great time to sift through your email and paper documents and start collecting all materials related to your child’s IEP. Did the school email you a copy of the current IEP? Did they email you or mail you home a copy of Progress Reports? Do you have (somewhere) all of the evaluations completed this past cycle? Now is the time to print them and put them in a binder OR create a google folder and upload everything into there!
Communication: This is also a great time to think about communication with your child’s school team. Do you want to send a Back to School email introducing yourself and your child? If so, now is the time to think about what you want to include. Also consider how you want to “organize” your communication. We recommend a folder in your email just for “IEP related” emails and/or a communication log. Write down the date, who you spoke with, and if there were any takeaways or “do outs” discussed on your call/email/at your in person meeting.
Know what to expect! When is your child due for an Annual review meeting this year? Are they due for a Reevaluation? When can you expect the consent form for this to be sent home? If you are not sure, that is totally okay! Just make a note to ask their liaison when the school year begins so that there are no surprises once the year gets rolling.
Organize any information from the Summer. If you spent lots of time disconnected and at the beach, pool, playground AMAZING! You gave your child the space they needed and a break from their typical routine. If your child, however, attended camps or therapies, etc. ALSO AMAZING! Every child and family is unique and uses the Summer differently. There is no one right way to spend the time off from school. If your child did receive any services over the Summer, DO include any information in your organization binder or google folder. Did they receive weekly progress reports? Did the therapist write a summary of their progress over the Summer? Did they attend ESY? If so, their teacher likely sent you home sample work or notes about what was worked on. This is all great to keep and bring with you to an IEP meeting and/or to summarize and share with your child’s teacher.
Finally, it's never too early to start thinking about your parent letter for the IEP meeting. Start jotting down notes of things you want to make sure are discussed at this year’s meeting!
A new school year can feel both exciting and overwhelming for parents and caregivers of children with special needs. We hope that these tips for getting organized will help take some of the stress away and help set you up for a productive school year! As always, we love to hear from you! Reach out to schedule a free 20 minute consultation or pop on over to our website to see what else we have to offer. Happy August!
