Below you will find a variety of resources that relate to transition from early intervention to early childhood.
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Resources on Transition
Early Intervention Transition Policy/Procedures
The Illinois Department of Human Services identifies policy and procedures for transition activities in the CFC Procedure Manual (updated October 2015).
Family Rights Handbook - State of Illinois Infant/Toddler & Family Rights under IDEA for the Early Intervention System
Español: Derechos de infantes y familias bajo “IDEA” para sistemas de intervención temprana
(Updated July 2016) This resource describes a child's and family's rights, as defined by Part C of IDEA, and includes provisions for early intervention services for eligible Illinois children starting at birth.
FAQ on Transition (pdf)
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Transition document is a list of answers to questions received during and shortly after the Insurance Webinars held in October 2015 to assist CFCs, EI Stakeholders and Providers in understanding and further clarifying the topic of transition in Early Intervention. As stated during the Webinar, this information does not reflect a policy change. The questions and answers are grouped by categories to make this a useful tool. You may also find additional information, such as the recorded Webinar on Transition and the webinar's PowerPoint (pdf).
Transition Resources from the EI Clearinghouse - available in multiple languages and designed for families to help explain the steps in transition and their role in the process.
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Resources on Transition
Most resources are found on the ISBE Indicator 12: Early Childhood Transtion page and the Early Childhood Special Education page.
When I'm 3, Where Will I Be? A Family's Transition from Early Intervention Workbook
A workbook designed as a resource and a planner for families as their child transitions from Early Intervention services. The book and accompanying resources can also be ordered for free from the Child Find page.
Parent Guide - Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois
(Revised August 2020) This guide explains Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) special education laws, procedures, rights and responsibilities for parents, school professionals, and others. The Parent's Guide is available in English and Spanish in PDF and online format on the site.
Early Intervention to Early Childhood Special Education Transition
This page focuses on resources related to the transition between EI and an LEA for Early Childhood Special Education, including guidance and requirements, family resources and school/provider resources. A sample of resources include the following:
Information for Parents with Children in Illinois Special Education
A great starting place for parents as they exit Early Intervention (Part C) and transition into Special Education (Part B) services.
ISBE Early Childhood Education
This resource goes directly to the Early Childhood (EC) Education page of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), where resources include information on EC Special Education Programs, Preschool for All, Prevention initiatives, and various other resources pertinent to the 3-5 year old population.
ISBE Early Childhood Education, Preschool Inclusion/LRE
Here you'll find resources and links for LRE and preschool inclusion. Information about models of inclusion for young children is located here as well.
ISBE Special Education Programs SPP/APR Indicators
This main page for information regarding the SPP/APR Indicators links to indicators 4, 7, 8, 9-14. Please note the following:
Early Childhood Inclusion in Illinois (pdf) or Inclusión de la Infancia Temprana para Cada uno y Todos los Niños en Illinois (pdf)
This brochure from ISBE defines inclusion and early childhood programs, as well as provides context for that inclusion means in early childhood programs in Illinois.
DEC Recommended Practices on Transition
DEC Recommended Practices on Transition
The Division of Early Childhood's Recommended Practices on Transition is taken from the full list of the DEC Recommended Practices.
ECTA Center resources on DEC Recommended Practices on Transition
This site includes checklists and videos related to Transition in English and Spanish (Español).
Modules and Trainings
Online training modules that provide information on the goals of transition, options available to children and families when they leave early intervention, and the responsibilities of all who are involved in the transition process.
Modules
Transition: Partnering with Families as They Leave EI is an online training from EITP broken into four modules that provide an overview of the transition process along with the goals of transition, the options available to children and families when they leave early intervention, the responsibilities of all who are involved in the transition process, and some special timelines that pertain to exceptional circumstances. To receive EI credit for the eligible modules, you must register for Transition: Partnering with Families as They Leave EI in our learning management system (Canvas).
- Overview and Goals of Transition - This training module will provide an overview of the transition process along with the goals of transition, the options available to children and families when they leave early intervention, the responsibilities of all who are involved in the transition process, and some special timelines that pertain to exceptional circumstances.
- Transition Options - This training module reviews the transition options that may be available for children and families exiting early intervention. Please note that some children exiting early intervention will not qualify for special education services so it is important to be aware of all the options for transition.
- Transition Roles and Responsibilities - This module covers the roles and responsibilities of the families, service coordinators, local education agencies, and early interventionists during the transition process. Please note that local education agencies may also be referred to as “school districts” throughout this presentation.
- Transition: Special Timelines- This module reviews some special timelines to consider during the transition process.
The Federal Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs Module is an online module developed by Early CHOICES and reviews the Federal Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs that was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Education on September 14, 2015. The module is not currently eligible for EI credit, but is posted as a resource and includes the following:
- Introduction to the policy statement: an overview of what inclusion is and why it is important.
- Strategies to overcome challenges to inclusion within early childhood program
- Partnerships to build a culture of inclusion
- Summary of the module
- Resource guide
Understanding Inclusion - Developed by
Early CHOICES and EITP, the
Understanding Inclusion series contains 6 topics that explore key ideas about inclusion in early childhood. The series covers a range of topics from defining inclusion to understanding the benefits to advocating for inclusion. Developed for families with family input, it is just as meaningful and useful for practitioners working with families who have children from birth to 5. In each module topic, a topic guide is available for reflecting and applying what you learn to your own experience. The guide also has additional resources to explore the topic further.
To receive EI credit for the eligible modules, you must register for Understanding Inclusion in our learning management system (Canvas).
Early CHOICES Understanding Inclusion page is great for families! It includes all the resources and modules from the Understanding Inclusion series, and everything is available in both English and Spanish (Español).
Legislation and Agreements related to Transition
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Amended PL 108-446, Dec 2004) Sections 612(a)(9) and 637(a)(9), which provides the federal framework for transition requirements from Part C Early Intervention to Part C Early Childhood.
- IDEA Part C Data Fact Sheet (pdf) - A fact sheet that pertains to federal regulations related to infants and toddlers who exit the early intervention program.
- Early Intervention Intergovernmental Agreement - ISBE & DHS (pdf) - (2016) This document authorizes the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to disclose certain information to achieve smooth transitions and for cooperative "child find" tasks.
- School Records and Parents' Rights (pdf) - An "Action Information Sheet" from the PACER Center that provides information regarding parents' rights with school records.
- Resources about P.A. 100-0105: Preventing Expulsion of Children from Birth to 5- These resources related to expulsion and suspension legislation may be helpful to you as a PD specialist, to providers, and service coordinators.
- Illinois EI Extended Services (Illinois law, 325 IL CS, Section 11, amended by SB0820, Amendment 002) went into effect in January 2022. It states that EI Extended Services will be available for eligible EI Families. The new legislation applies to children with May 1 through August 31 birthdays only and provides eligible families the option to extend Illinois EI services past the child’s third birthday. If a child meets the criteria, families will be offered the option to continue with EI services until the beginning of the next school year! To view more details, please read the following 2 announcements:
Transition & Inclusion Advocacy
- Early CHOICES is an inclusion initiative that promotes increasing high-quality inclusive early care and education for each and every child from birth to age 5.
- Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC), serves the entire state of Illinois outside of the Chicago metro area and provides information, referral, linkages, and training to parents, students with disabilities, and special education professionals. Also offered are free workshops on special education rights and responsibilities and related topics.
- Family Resource Center on Disabilities Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC), serves the Chicago metro area and provides information, referral, linkages, and training to parents, students with disabilities, and special education professionals. Also offered are free workshops on special education rights and responsibilities and related topics.
- Family Support Network of Illinois' mission is to unify individuals with disabilities and their families to advocate for funding, services, and community resources. The Family Support Network further seeks to ensure the continuation of all individual supports throughout the life span of the individual.
Transition Planning Conference
Transition Planning Conference Infographic
This helpful infographic developed by ISBE reviews the required attendees and discussion topics for the Transition Planning Conference (TPC).
Transition Planning Conference Video Series
Developed by the Illinois Child Find Project for parents, early intervention, and early childhood personnel to provide information as a child’s approaches transition from Early Intervention services to early childhood services.
You can view or share the following with families in its entirety (one 28-minute video) or simply share the individual part(s) you think is most helpful to them:
Child Find also provided a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) video with a companion document that highlights the actual questions parents might consider: Questions Parents Should Ask About EI-EC Transition
CFC Transition Tools
The following tools were developed by CFC 7 to help quickly determine dates and schedules for the transition of children from EI to ECSE:
- Transition-Discharge Schedule (pdf)- printable schedule to view all birth dates and see the exact dates for when the discharge meeting (120 days) and transition meeting (90 days) are due
- Transition Calculator (Excel file)- enter the child's birthday into the calculator to get the exact dates for meetings from the Transition-Discharge Schedule; a printable schedule is included in this file.
- Transition Timetable (pdf) - visual aid to identify the month when transition needs to begin (i.e. 6 months before the 3rd birthday) for a child based on their birth month.
EI Extended Services (EI/ES)
Resources from EITP Training "Overview of Illinois Early Intervention Extended Services" - This page contains training materials and resources around IL EI Extended Services.
Are They Eligible for Extended Services? - Click to open this interactive quiz that can help you determine if the child is eligible for Extended Services in Illinois.
Extended Services Announcement - An article was emailed to our newsletter subscribers in June 2022 that explains this topic in detail. Printable version of the article (pdf)
FAQ on EI/ES - A tipsheet from the EI Clearinghouse answering common questions and providing additional resources.
The following resources are from IDHS on EI/ES:
