I think the differences are:

Early Stages is the Part B coordinator for the transfer from IDEA Part C FOR DCPS. Early Stages would not know anything about enrollment in charters, they are a DCPS entity that is responsible for part C to B transfer. Early Stages C to B transfer process will either develop an IEP and place you at DCPS, agree to extend your IFSP, or drop you once you show proof of enrollment at a charter.

Part C is run by Strong Start.

For Strong Start Part C to charter Part B transfer, the student would already have to be enrolled in the charter. In this case, Early Stages would not be invoked at all. The only way to be enrolled in a Charter is via My School DC lottery between April 1-October 5 for the following school year, for a child turning 3 before Sept 30. There is no way for a charter to enroll a child who didn’t make the cutoff and isn’t in My School DC.

So put together that means that only kids who are on an IFSP, have been accepted into a charter and have enrolled via the regular lottery, and are still 2 at that time, could engage in a C to B transfer with a charter. So we are talking about kids with summer birthdays. They wouldn’t be placed into a charter “early” because school isn’t in session. They could attend ESY though.

Anonymous wrote:Early Stages is a DCPS program. The referral process ends with enrollment in a DCPS school. It says it very clearly on their website.

https://www.earlystagesdc.org/page/our-process

Early Stages is the District of Columbia’s commitment to providing IDEA Part B services after IDEA Part C services expire on a child’s third birthday, and before they are enrolled in mandatory kindergarten.

If you go to a charter, you have to transfer the IEP to that LEA. To get into a charter, you have to be accepted through My School DC, which is subject to age limits and a timeline that you don’t meet for enrollment into PK3 this year.

I don’t think you are saying anything different from what OP is saying.

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely think that an early stages seat at your zoned dcps is likely to be 10x better than a seat at a charter school that is not fully enrolled for preK.

That’s a good point. OP maybe visit the zoned school to feel it out?

I don’t know if you are right or wrong, but you need to be sending emails to ES and OSSE at the same time instead of having them talk to each other and get the facts wrong.

Anonymous wrote:*Mid year entry
*Younger than all other classmates by ~1-18 months
*Socially and/or academically delayed

Does DC really put these kids in PK3 general education classrooms? On paper it seems like that would be a disaster for them. I had always thought this program was intended for self-contained environments.

Yes, DCPS does offer it if the delay is not so significant as to make it inappropriate. But a lot of parents who could have it choose to decline or never pursue it. Because it starts on the birthday, it's not as good a deal for spring birthdays, and summer birthdays wouldn't be eligible because it's summer vacation.

*Mid year entry
*Younger than all other classmates by ~1-18 months
*Socially and/or academically delayed

Does DC really put these kids in PK3 general education classrooms? On paper it seems like that would be a disaster for them. I had always thought this program was intended for self-contained environments.

it sounds like OPs child is bilingual and only has an IEP for speech. but she is still going to be the youngest, going to get some pullout services, and might have some additional challenges like not being fully potty trained yet. dcps will be all-around better for this year (and then you can switch to a school where other kids and families do not necessarily need to know that your child did an extra year of preK).

What did you expect when you choose a charter school? If they don’t want to take IEP students they do not have to even though they are ‘public’ schools. Or they may kick your child out later when forced to.
Good luck.

Early Stages is a DCPS program. The referral process ends with enrollment in a DCPS school. It says it very clearly on their website.

https://www.earlystagesdc.org/page/our-process

Early Stages is the District of Columbia’s commitment to providing IDEA Part B services after IDEA Part C services expire on a child’s third birthday, and before they are enrolled in mandatory kindergarten.

If you go to a charter, you have to transfer the IEP to that LEA. To get into a charter, you have to be accepted through My School DC, which is subject to age limits and a timeline that you don’t meet for enrollment into PK3 this year.

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely think that an early stages seat at your zoned dcps is likely to be 10x better than a seat at a charter school that is not fully enrolled for preK.

We had a kid eligible for Early Stages. It was my understanding that it was only for DCPS, not charters. We also had an older kid at a charter. We ended up not going to DCPS, continuing to pay for daycare, and waiting just to enroll in our charter because our DCPS was incredibly unhelpful, like they couldn’t be bothered. Several weeks later the principal emailed, apparently confused why our kid wasn’t enrolling. However, they already lost our confidence.

If I were you, I would go through Early Stages, take a DCPS placement (it might not be at your zoned school) for your daughter this year, and then try for the charter next year.

She'll get some needed interventions now, and may be able to slip into a school that is less equipped for IEPs in the future.

I would not push to get her into the charter, which sounds like it would not actually meet her needs right now.

You don't want your 3 year old at a new-to-the-scene bilingual charter that is not set up for Early Stages 3 year olds. It's a disaster waiting to happen. You want a school with an existing program for this.

I don't actually think Early Stages does placements at charters. So I don't think they will say in your IEP that some rando charter school you want is your "specific placement." Certain DCPS schools save places specifically for early stages placements and some of them are quality schools. Try for the closest of those.

You bring up at the meeting charter is your first choice, older child is there, school is on-board. But I think its possible daughter goes to charter and its not super great fit (she will be the youngest unrelated to severity of IEP). Maybe you muddle through it. Worse case scenario you transfer or pull out for daycare. So I wouldnt fight this one; you will win something (several extra months of preK at your preferred school) that might not long-term be such a great prize.

I'm going to tell you now this is not a fight you are going to win. I think its best to either take the DCPS offer, get your DD in DCPS with an IEP then do the lottery or transfer to the charter.

Take the no from the charter as a sign regardless if your other child attends.

Also speaking of a parent who has a child in DCPS through ES, they tried to put my kid in a crappy school at first (closest location). I fought it and got my child placed somewhere else (they will tell you, you cannot pick n choose) where my kid did awesome. Did the lottery and got in a better school with great test scores and my child is thriving. There's ways around it. But if you want the kid in school the DCPS route is the best route to take as they are legally bound to IDEA and FAPE. You can hold them more accountable where as the charter...well if they do great, if they don't they get a slap on the wrist and still don't. Your choice.