Children in preschool programs exit their program or service to transition to Kindergarten equipped with many new skills and abilities. Preschool teachers send their children on to new experiences and Kindergarten teachers welcome new children knowing what great experiences await them. Preparing children and families for this transition can assist with making it successful. The Arizona Department of Education's Early Childhood unit has resources for transition in addition to those available below.
Preschool children with disabilities served under the categories of Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Developmental Delay, Preschool Severe Delay or Speech Language Impairment enter preschool at three years old (or as early as two years 9 months if it is in the best interest of the child) and exit when the child is five years old, or earlier if the child no longer needs special education. School Finance describes age requirements and validation for funding: the minimum age to begin Kindergarten is a child who is five years old before September 1st or five years old by January 1st with board approval.
While it is a parent's decision whether to accept or decline the offer of a free appropriate public education, the IEP team annually develops and recommends an individualized educational plan for the child. The plan must include how children with disabilities will have meaningful access to the State's academic content starndards for the grade in which the child is or will be enrolled. IEP goals must be aligned with grade-level content starndards for all children with disabilities. OSEP DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER on Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) (November 16, 2015)
Preparation of resources and engaging in activities to transition to Kindergarten benefits families if the activities occur throughout the year. Rich resources are available with examples of preparation actvities from Head Start and the Early Childhood Education unit.
