Does Early Stages serve charter students?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| It looks like it is only for DCPS. Is that true? What are the alternative programs for charters? |
Anonymous
| No but they can help with referrals and getting you on right path. |
Anonymous
|
YES EARLY STAGES ABSOLUTELY HELPS ALL CHILDREN. It is for any child age 2yrs8months to 5yrs10-months. Children do not have to be in school at all - let alone a DCPS. PP is giving out bad advice.
It is a city service, NOT one tied to the public schools. |
Anonymous
|
Yes, 7:55 is correct! I'm a dcps teacher who has also worked in a charter school. Early stages is for all dc residents, including children who aren't serviced by any school.
All states are required to have something like early stages to identify children with special needs per federal disability law. If your child is enrolled in a school, you might want to talk to your child's teacher and/ or the schools special education coordinator - they might be able to help you advocate, answer questions, get you in touch with the right people, etc. |
Anonymous
|
I have a different understanding. Once kids hit school age and are enrolled in school, they are served by their Local Ed Agency or LEA. Most of the charters that are popular on DCUM are their own LEA so they provide their own services (often contracted). Google DC Special Ed Coop which is how the charters exchange info, do PD etc. there is a parents tab.
Good luck! |
Anonymous
|
From the Early Stages Website .....
"...Early Stages is a DC Public Schools diagnostic center for children between the ages of 2 years 8 months and 5 years 10 months. We help identify any delays that your child may have and we arrange services to address them. We can serve any child who goes to a DC public school, is home-schooled or has not yet entered the school system. Please call us if your child attends a charter school. We will help you find the right person to talk to." |
Anonymous
| So yes, in most cases if your kid goes to a charter they sill point in the right direction! |
Anonymous
| Also, if your kids has special needs that are harder to address, they can skip the line at a dcps through early stages. |
Anonymous
| Only DCPS. If you want to o to a charter, you have to lottery in, and then they have the responsibility to meet your child's needs. |
Anonymous
Yes, but school placements from early stages are only to DCPS, not charters, which is what PP probably meant. |
Anonymous
Really on what the OP meant by 'serve.' But there is a reason why their web page is part of the DCPS website. |
Anonymous
In my experience, if you call Early Stages for a child who is in a charter school that serves as its own LEA, Early Stages will instruct you to call the special ed coordinator, and will help you find that person's number, and provide instruction on how to get the ball rolling and timelines started. They won't actually test the child though, as they are part of the DCPS LEA, and only responsible for testing students who are part of that LEA. Charters can also contract with Early Stages, if they have personnel available to do the testing. I haven't had recent experience with this because the testing the one time my school did this was very poorly done, so we've figured out other solutions. There is a lot of confusion as to who is responsible for testing kids between the date when they accept a slot in a charter that is it's own LEA, and the first day of school. For kids who are currently attending DCPS, and plan to move, it is clear that DCPS continues to be their LEA until the last day of school, but unclear which LEA is in charge during the summer. For kids who are not attending school, and plan to attend charters in the fall, it is even less clear. DCPS will maintain that the students are the responsibility of the charter from the day they accept the spot. The charters maintain that they are not responsible until the first day of school. For kids who start charters at 3, and need an IEP in place on day one to be successful, this is a huge problem that has yet to be resolved. |
Anonymous
|
My kid attended a private preschool and was tested by Early Stages (they test everybody!). They did got us spots in PK schools nearby. I refused the first one (our assigned DCPS) and they got us another spot in a better, close by DCPS school. We ending up accepting a spot at a HRCS (lottery). Looking back, it is very clear that Early Stages cannot give you a spot in the most adapted/appropriate school for your kid. They will try to find a spot in any school. Once you know that it is easier to judge what they can offer and use them or not..
|
Anonymous
| OP here. I don't think my kid needs a full on special placement. My kid has delay in one specific area and may need to special services or therapy for that. |
Anonymous
No, they test kids in private or religious pre-schools or daycares, home school, not yet attending school, non-LEA charters, or who are attending DCPS. They do not test kids in LEA charters. |