The Priorities and Perceptions of Families of Preschool Age Children with Complex Special Needs Throughout the Transition to Kindergarten Process

Each year, early intervention programs across Pennsylvania support the transition of thousands of children with special needs into school-age programming through collaborative efforts with school districts. While special education leaders may understand the legal requirements associated with the transition from early intervention into kindergarten, very little is definitively known about the perceptions and priorities of the parents of children with complex special needs during this time. This study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine the priorities of parents of children, who were age-eligible to transition to kindergarten in the fall of 2023 and who were receiving more than one service from the early intervention program in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Data was collected through the administration of the Family Experiences and Involvement in Transition (FEIT) – Modified survey and the Special Education Leader Transition Survey – Kindergarten (SELTS-K) as well as semi-structured interviews. A significant difference between how concerned parents are about their child’s behavior during kindergarten transition and how school leaders perceived parental concern in this area was discovered. Significant differences between participant groups were found in the importance of the following supports: having the early intervention program host a meeting to prepare parents for the child’s transition meeting with the school district, receiving monthly contact from the child’s early intervention teacher, and receiving a home visit from the child’s kindergarten teacher. Notable differences on the topic of kindergarten readiness in children were also detected between participant groups.