Technical Advisory 2019-1 Transition from Early Intervention

The Advisory has two purposes: (1) to promote best practices for helping eligible children and their families transition into Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and related services; and (2) to explain the roles and responsibilities of Early Intervention (EI) programs and school districts in that transition.

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Massachusetts Special Education Regulations, children referred by EI and found eligible for ECSE are entitled to begin receiving services pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) by their third birthday.1 This Advisory provides guidance on how to facilitate the transition from EI programs to ECSE. Additionally, the Departments of Public Health (DPH) and Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) have jointly developed a sample EI/ECSE Transition Planning Tool template (attached as Appendix A), to be used by EI programs and school districts to assist in planning a child's transition to ECSE.