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Parents, Kids, & the Preschool Transition: Tips to Manage Stress & Concern
- Leonora Bradley
- Jul 8, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 10, 2024
Let’s face it. Being a parent or a caregiver can be hard. It is one of the most rewarding roles of life for sure, and while it can be filled with joy, it can also be hard at times.
Parents of babies and young children who receive early intervention (EI) and are about to embark upon the transition to preschool and special education – I see you and I hear you! There are probably a myriad of feelings that you are experiencing at this point. Are you wondering, “What will happen when my child goes to school?” Or perhaps you are thinking, “Who will help me support my child now that our providers will not be in our home anymore?” Are you wondering to yourself, “What is an IEP and what does it do for my child? What will they be doing all day at school? Will they ride the bus? How will I know what they are learning or how they are doing?”
These are some of the most frequently asked questions of parents and caregivers who are making the transition from early intervention services to preschool. The most important thing to know is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There is much information, but there are also many ways you will be able to support your child’s education and their development as a school student.
Occupational therapy (OT) may or may not be part of your initial referral to preschool, but many times it plays a part in determining your child’s eligibility for special education preschool and services. Either way, occupational therapy can offer you guidance and recommendations that promote healthy interactions, routines, and family support to help you navigate through this process. The transition to preschool can be stressful and challenging for many parents and caregivers of children both with and without disabilities.
Here are some things you can do to calm your worries and feel more in control:
Discuss the process of transitioning from early intervention (EI) services to preschool education & services with your EI team and service coordinator.
Utilize your assigned case manager at your school district. This person may be a social worker, a learning consultant, school psychologist, or other practitioner such as a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist (depending on the state).
Ask about the evaluation process for your child in the school district. Where will you go to have your child evaluated?
During the evaluations, ask the practitioners what their roles are on the team and what their professions address in school for children.
Consolidate any health or medical documentation to share with school practitioners, if you are willing. This information is greatly helpful during evaluations for practitioners to gather important information about your child’s health and development. This information can help practitioners to determine which assessments to use or which types of interventions to recommend that will benefit your child in the school setting.
Create a list of questions that come to your mind as you embark on this process. You can always contact your child’s case manager to ask questions along the way, or you can come prepared with the questions to be discussed at your child’s team meeting.
If you are a parent of a child in preschool who receives OT, you may be curious about what that looks like within the school setting. You can read more about this in this post, entitled School-based OT- What do Parents Want to Know?
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