DC Charter for speech delays?

[Anonymous]

My DS is going to start PK3 next year and I am getting ready for the lottery. He gets speech and OT via Strong Start and from what I understand can transition to DCPS-based services next year. Screened for ASD and did not get that diagnosis, just the speech and some motor issues. I was told they'll place him in my neighborhood school for PK3 regardless of lottery results. Sounds good to me, since dozens of IB families were turned away last year from the school and it's my first choice. However, I'd like to be prepared for lottery in case I am not actually offered a place in my home school or they tell me he no longer qualifies in the next year. Are there charters that I should be considering that are good environments with speech delays? Obviously I would avoid immersion.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there are guaranteed spaces for children with IEPs (via Strong Start/Early Stages. Basically your IFSP will be transitioned to an IEP) and you can enroll your child as soon as your child turns 3 (e.g. if your child's birthday is in April 2018 you could start then).

However, if you opt out of DCPS and choose to go to a charter you will negotiate an IEP with that school after getting in via the lottery once school starts in fall 2018.

There are 2 charters that work hard to meet SN students' needs -- Creative Minds and Bridges. Each has some very happy parents and some detractors.

Others I'd recommend looking at are Lee Montessori, Inspired Teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are guaranteed spaces for children with IEPs (via Strong Start/Early Stages. Basically your IFSP will be transitioned to an IEP) and you can enroll your child as soon as your child turns 3 (e.g. if your child's birthday is in April 2018 you could start then).

However, if you opt out of DCPS and choose to go to a charter you will negotiate an IEP with that school after getting in via the lottery once school starts in fall 2018.

There are 2 charters that work hard to meet SN students' needs -- Creative Minds and Bridges. Each has some very happy parents and some detractors.

Others I'd recommend looking at are Lee Montessori, Inspired Teaching.

Former CMI parent here, I would caution against buying into the Creative Minds hype. It's not all things to all people.

[Anonymous]

I recommend that he gets a full evaluation with a developmental pediatrician at KKI and/or Children's in addition to Strong Start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recommend that he gets a full evaluation with a developmental pediatrician at KKI and/or Children's in addition to Strong Start.

Why? For an ASD diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

I recommend that he gets a full evaluation with a developmental pediatrician at KKI and/or Children's in addition to Strong Start.

OP here thanks -- we did the full eval at KKI and they want to see him every 6 months but just a mixed language disorder diagnosis or now.

So it sounds like if he's still in the program the seat is guaranteed and unless I decide a charter is a better move for some reason i just go with that. So my lottery picks can reflect my "Plan B" but for all intents and purposes if he stays in the program, the lottery is moot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I recommend that he gets a full evaluation with a developmental pediatrician at KKI and/or Children's in addition to Strong Start.

OP here thanks -- we did the full eval at KKI and they want to see him every 6 months but just a mixed language disorder diagnosis or now.

So it sounds like if he's still in the program the seat is guaranteed and unless I decide a charter is a better move for some reason i just go with that. So my lottery picks can reflect my "Plan B" but for all intents and purposes if he stays in the program, the lottery is moot.

Yes. Unless they decide that he no longer qualifies for an IEP. Hopefully they'd give you some warning about that well before the lottery deadline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are guaranteed spaces for children with IEPs (via Strong Start/Early Stages. Basically your IFSP will be transitioned to an IEP) and you can enroll your child as soon as your child turns 3 (e.g. if your child's birthday is in April 2018 you could start then).

However, if you opt out of DCPS and choose to go to a charter you will negotiate an IEP with that school after getting in via the lottery once school starts in fall 2018.

There are 2 charters that work hard to meet SN students' needs -- Creative Minds and Bridges. Each has some very happy parents and some detractors.

Others I'd recommend looking at are Lee Montessori, Inspired Teaching.

Former CMI parent here, I would caution against buying into the Creative Minds hype. It's not all things to all people.

Not to derail, but I have heard it is great for high functioning kids on the ASD spectrum; good with offering aides to kids with ASD and aides and teachers trained in the floortime techniques. We have a verbal preschooler with ASD and were going to put CMI first on our lottery list for next year. But I would love to hear more from SN parents who have experience with the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are guaranteed spaces for children with IEPs (via Strong Start/Early Stages. Basically your IFSP will be transitioned to an IEP) and you can enroll your child as soon as your child turns 3 (e.g. if your child's birthday is in April 2018 you could start then).

However, if you opt out of DCPS and choose to go to a charter you will negotiate an IEP with that school after getting in via the lottery once school starts in fall 2018.

There are 2 charters that work hard to meet SN students' needs -- Creative Minds and Bridges. Each has some very happy parents and some detractors.

Others I'd recommend looking at are Lee Montessori, Inspired Teaching.

We are at Bridges with a speech delayed child who has been diagnosed with ASD. Generally, Bridges has been great about getting our son the services outlined in his IEP and evaluating him for services not outlined in that IEP (which was developed by Strong Start/Early Stages). They are not, in my experience, a school where you have to fight for more services. Also big plus for us was that their aftercare provider can also provide ABA therapy in aftercare (for a fee -- our insurance covers it). We are very happy with the ABA they do -- not rigid, very play based and child led, working on the goals that are important to us, including social communication.

My complaints -- our assigned preschool speech therapist went out on maternity leave early in the school year and I'm not totally confident that the contractor they have in her place is really on top of everything. I know my son gets the speech therapy outlined in his IEP, but I'm not sure if the therapist just isn't that effective or if he needs more hours or what. . . I'll have a conference with the contracting speech therapist soon but it's been hard to evaluate the speech therapy and communicate with the therapist because of this transition. However, by next year this should not be an issue.

A plus about Bridges is that they usually have two speech therapists on staff -- in many schools I talked to they relied on contract therapists who aren't at school most of the time (just drop in for their speech therapy appointments) and that can make it hard to communicate with them. I have heard other parents talk about having problems with contract service providers even doing the required amount of therapy.

Hopefully some other charter school parents can chime in, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are guaranteed spaces for children with IEPs (via Strong Start/Early Stages. Basically your IFSP will be transitioned to an IEP) and you can enroll your child as soon as your child turns 3 (e.g. if your child's birthday is in April 2018 you could start then).

However, if you opt out of DCPS and choose to go to a charter you will negotiate an IEP with that school after getting in via the lottery once school starts in fall 2018.

There are 2 charters that work hard to meet SN students' needs -- Creative Minds and Bridges. Each has some very happy parents and some detractors.

Others I'd recommend looking at are Lee Montessori, Inspired Teaching.

We are at Bridges with a speech delayed child who has been diagnosed with ASD. Generally, Bridges has been great about getting our son the services outlined in his IEP and evaluating him for services not outlined in that IEP (which was developed by Strong Start/Early Stages). They are not, in my experience, a school where you have to fight for more services. Also big plus for us was that their aftercare provider can also provide ABA therapy in aftercare (for a fee -- our insurance covers it). We are very happy with the ABA they do -- not rigid, very play based and child led, working on the goals that are important to us, including social communication.

My complaints -- our assigned preschool speech therapist went out on maternity leave early in the school year and I'm not totally confident that the contractor they have in her place is really on top of everything. I know my son gets the speech therapy outlined in his IEP, but I'm not sure if the therapist just isn't that effective or if he needs more hours or what. . . I'll have a conference with the contracting speech therapist soon but it's been hard to evaluate the speech therapy and communicate with the therapist because of this transition. However, by next year this should not be an issue.

A plus about Bridges is that they usually have two speech therapists on staff -- in many schools I talked to they relied on contract therapists who aren't at school most of the time (just drop in for their speech therapy appointments) and that can make it hard to communicate with them. I have heard other parents talk about having problems with contract service providers even doing the required amount of therapy.

Hopefully some other charter school parents can chime in, too.

Sorry, I should clarify that these other parents with complaints send their kids to schools other than Bridges. I mean to say that I have heard parents at some other schools complain that the therapists the school contracts with aren't even showing up for the amount of therapy required in the IEP. I don't think Bridges would stand for that.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are still reading this, how did it go? did you kid qualify for IEP and did he get to the neighborhood school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you are still reading this, how did it go? did you kid qualify for IEP and did he get to the neighborhood school?

Not OP but lottery results don’t come out until Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you are still reading this, how did it go? did you kid qualify for IEP and did he get to the neighborhood school?

Not OP but lottery results don’t come out until Friday.

Thanks, but the IEP is lottery independent, so OP probably already knows if her DC qualified and got into the neighborhood school. If she will take the spot is another question...

[Anonymous]

Hi -- I don't know yet. We haven't completed the eval for Strong Start (summer birthday).