Last fall, the NYC Department of Education’s Special Education Office sent out an important letter to parents of children who will be “turning five” during the 2017 calendar year, and who are expected to enter kindergarten in September, 2017.
That letter clarified that the parents of all children turning five, including those with IEPs, must apply to kindergarten through the NYC application process. This obligation applies regardless of whether you feel that your child’s needs could ever be met in your local public school.
Applications for kindergarten are now open and close on January 13th, 2017. Parents can apply in one of 3 ways:
Apply online at schools.nyc.gov/ApplyOnline
Apply over the phone by calling 718-935-2400 (M-F, 8 am – 6 pm)
Apply in person at a Family Welcome Center (see schools.nyc.gov/WelcomeCenters for locations and hours)
Despite the fact that the kindergarten placement process is different for children with IEPs, this DOE letter makes it very clear that parents of children who receive special education services through the CPSE are required to participate in the regular NYC kindergarten application process.
If you did not receive a letter on this topic from the Department of Education, it is still important to be an active participant in the kindergarten application process. For important updates and more information regarding the transition to kindergarten for special education students, please visit schools.nyc.gov/Academics/SpecialEducation/AcrossGrades/Kindergarten.