When Your Child Turns Three

Early Start is California's implementation of a federal program designed to provide assistance to infants and toddlers with special needs or those who are at risk for developmental delays.  At the age of 3, Early Start services end and your child will transition from Early Start to various situations, such as:

• community preschool programs
• public preschool programs, such as Head Start, state funded preschool programs
• child care programs
• special education services, pending eligibility
• home

The specific scenario for your child will be determined based on your child's developmental assessments completed before his or her third birthday and your participation in the transition and assessment process.  For children who reside in the Martinez Unified School District, a transition IFSP meeting is scheduled with your Early Start case manager and a District representative.  Following this meeting, the District preschool team will review the information, develop an assessment plan if appropriate, conduct additional assessments as necessary, and schedule an IEP meeting prior to your child's third birthday.

Even though your child received early intervention services, there is not automatic eligibility for special education services.  The following conditions or educational diagnoses serve as the basis for qualifying for special education eligibility:

• Autism
• Deafness
• Deaf-Blindness
• Emotional Disturbance
• Established Medical Disability
• Hard of Hearing
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment

In each case, the condition must negatively impact the child's ability to learn and participate in school-based activities without special support.