The document discusses transitions that children experience in early childhood education programs. It outlines the transition process, including developing a planning team, setting goals, and defining roles for families and programs. Key transitions discussed are from early intervention to preschool, which have different service models and legal requirements for planning meetings and continuity of services, and from preschool to kindergarten, where schools supporting the transition helps ease the process.

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Planning Transitions to Support Inclusion
Chapter 19
Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

2. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter Objectives (1 of 2)
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
19-1 describe two program transitions that occur in early childhood and
discuss how they differ.
19-2 outline the steps in the transition process, including the roles of the
family and sending and receiving programs.

3. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter Objectives (2 of 2)
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
19-3 discuss the transition from early intervention to preschool, including the
legal requirements.
19-4 highlight the strategies that help ensure a successful transition to
kindergarten.

4. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Transitions During Early Childhood Services
• Children need to be prepared to move from one setting to the next.
• This should not be rushed if at all possible.
• Planning needs to occur to avoid duplication in testing, to prepare the new
teachers, and to allow the parents time to adjust to the new schedule and
expectations

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Steps in the Transition Process
1. Developing a planning team
2. Setting goals
3. Defining roles for the family and sending and receiving programs
4. Writing the transition plan and procedures
5. Reviewing the outcome of the transition and the child’s adaptation to the
new program

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
1. Developing A Planning Team
• Family members
• Teachers who are currently working with the child
• Therapists involved
• New teacher, if possible

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
2. Setting Goals
• Have a good understanding of the curriculum in the new program
• Combine that with the current level of performance to write goals
• Identify challenges and solutions

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
3. Roles of Team Members (1 of 3)
Role of the Sending Program
• Work with the receiving program to determine skills the child is expected to have
• Identify needed areas
• Work with child on new expectations
• Prepare parents for new environment

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
3. Roles of Team Members (2 of 3)
Role of the Receiving Program
• Visit with the child, family, and former teacher
• Explain the philosophy and goals of your facility
• Ask questions about the child’s strengths and needs
• Set up a communication strategy
• Evaluate progress in meeting new transition goals

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3. Roles of Team Members (3 of 3)
Role of the Parents
• Seek out program options
• Visit the different programs (if there is a choice)
• Express concerns
• Be clear about expected outcomes
• Ask about communication strategies
• Inform center of cultural norms

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
4. Writing the Transition Plan and Procedures
• Time should be spent on writing goals for the transition process.
• Plans should be in place to work with the child entering the program on their
IEP.
• Evaluations should be in place to monitor progress.

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5. Review
Reviewing the outcome and the child’s adaptation to the new program
• The process should include addressing such questions as:
• Is the child adjusting to the program?
• How do the parents feel about the program?
• Does the receiving staff require additional information or training?
• Are transition goals being met? (Minor, 2002)

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Transition from Early Intervention—Preschool
Services
Changes in service delivery models and plans
• Early intervention is done in the home.
• Preschool is done in a center.
• IFSPs are now rewritten to become IEPs.
• Differences in eligibility
• Differing roles for the family
• Program philosophy

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Knowledge Check Activity 1
What is the primary difference between the service delivery model associated
with early intervention and that of preschool?
a. Early intervention programs are typically home-based, occurring four to five times per
week. Preschool programs are center-based, operating up to three times per week.
b. Early intervention programs are usually center-based. Preschool programs are typically
home-based.
c. Early intervention programs typically provide a home-based program. Preschool programs
are center-based.
d. Early intervention programs are typically center-based, operating three times per week.
Preschool programs are home-based operating four or five days per week

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Knowledge Check Activity 1 Answer
What is the primary difference between the service delivery model associated
with early intervention and that of preschool?
Answer: c. Early intervention programs typically provide a home-based program.
Preschool programs are center-based.

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Legal Requirements of Transition (1 of 3)
• Amend IFSP to include transitions
• Give parents information about transitions
• Prepare the child
• Ensure continuity of services
• Send record to new agency

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Legal Requirements of Transition (2 of 3)
Developing the transition plan
• A meeting must take place six months to 90 days before the third birthday.
• A meeting must occur even if the child is no longer eligible for services.
• Preschool options are discussed.
• An IEP is written and in place by the third birthday.

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Preparing children for transition
• Help the child by working on transfer of skills
• Readiness skills are also key
• If possible have the child meet the new teacher
• Visit the new school
• Begin with short days and build

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Legal Requirements of Transition (3 of 3)
Ensuring continuity of services
• It is illegal to place children on a waiting list if they are eligible for services.
• If a child’s birthday falls over the summer, late spring, or early fall, this needs to be
considered.
• Services cannot lapse.
Transferring records
• Records need to be transferred to the new setting.
• A parent can request to see the records and remove irrelevant items.
• This must happen in a timely manner before the child arrives.

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Specific Considerations
• It may the first time that the child is in a group setting.
• Parents may feel stress over their child being with others who can do more.
• Staff may not know what to do or how to do things for the child with
disabilities.
• Services vary from community to community.

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Case Study
Conrad was turning three in early June. It was time to transition from his early
intervention preschool to the public school special-day-class preschool.
When observed at his early intervention program, Conrad was seen to be very
attached to the lead teacher, to the point of being anxious and upset whenever
she was out of his sight. His anxiety would escalate to include severe hand
mouthing, tantrums, and aggression.
The IEP team, including his parents, were quite concerned about transitioning
him to a new program in early June, then to a different summer school
program for six weeks from mid-June to the end of July, and then back to the
special-day-class preschool in late August. They wanted to develop a plan that
would provide for a transition that would help reduce Conrad’s anxiety.

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Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Case Study Debrief
• Based upon the information in this chapter, what are some possible
strategies that the team could implement?

23. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Transition to Kindergarten (1 of 2)
There is no legal mandate for transition, but it is highly recommended
Transition planning
1. Plan transition in the spring
2. Identify options by visiting future programs
• Environment, interactions, classroom activities and curricula, management strategies
3. Prepare the child

24. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Transition to Kindergarten (2 of 2)
There is no legal mandate for transition, but it is highly recommended
Transition planning (cont.)
4. Enter Kindergarten
5. Implement informal support services
• Communicate with the family.
• Communicate with the former program.
6. Evaluate the transition and child adjustment

25. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Knowledge Check Activity 2
The results of the study conducted by the Pre-Elementary Education
Longitudinal Study (PEELS) and funded by the U.S. Department of Education
indicate which of the following as significantly associated with how easy the
transition to kindergarten was as perceived by parents and teachers.
a. Children transitioning at the age of six
b. When the school initiated support to facilitate the transition
c. Parents are primarily responsible for the transition
d. Showing pictures of the new school to the child

26. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Knowledge Check Activity 2 Answer
The results of the study conducted by the Pre-Elementary Education
Longitudinal Study (PEELS) and funded by the U.S. Department of Education
indicate which of the following as significantly associated with how easy the
transition to kindergarten was as perceived by parents and teachers.
Answer: b. When the school initiated support to facilitate the transition.

27. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Summary (1 of 2)
Now that the lesson has ended, you should have learned how to:
• Describe two program transitions that occur in early childhood and discuss how they differ.
• Outline the steps in the transition process, including the roles of the family and sending and
receiving programs.

28. Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Summary (2 of 2)
Now that the lesson has ended, you should have learned how to:
• Discuss the transition from early intervention to preschool, including the legal requirements.
• Highlight the strategies that help ensure a successful transition to kindergarten.