their children before they begin kindergarten, and educators can share with families key details about the year ahead. Educator-family partnerships provide consistency in routines and expectations at home and school. Changes can be more readily made as the child’ s goals are met or adjusted to ensure they have a positive school experience.
School leaders play a critical role in how families of children with disabilities are included in educational planning. In our experience, family participation in the Individualized Education Program( IEP) process was limited to receiving a meeting invitation and being presented with predetermined goals for their child. We suggest that leaders disrupt this pattern by creating structures from the start that are positive and reciprocal. For example, leaders might support home visits or pre-IEP conversations in advance of the new school year, in which teachers can learn from families about their children’ s strengths, routines, cultural values, and what strategies are most effective at home. Providing families with multiple opportunities to share their priorities and concerns before formal meetings allows for a more equitable approach.
School leaders can help foster connections and build community with families of children with disabilities by hosting informal support groups. These meetings can be as simple as monthly gatherings in the school library or cafeteria. These spaces should center children and families and create opportunities for families to comfortably share their concerns, needs, and experiences.
We recommend that school leaders start the first meeting with a needs analysis to learn about what families want and need. This can be as simple as hanging chart paper around the meeting room with the following three questions:“ What brought you here today?”;“ What has your experience with the school been like so far?”;“ What is one thing you want us to understand about your child and your family?” Families can circulate, discuss, and add their responses to the chart paper. This can help build trust and surface families’ priorities. The school leader can use this information to plan for more focused discussions throughout the year. The most important thing to remember is that the immediate goal is to establish a rapport with families. Families may sometimes wish to include teachers and staff in their conversations. When invited and welcomed by families, staff can help foster more empathetic and productive relationships.
Supporting Children with Disabilities Throughout the Kindergarten Transition
School leaders already carry many responsibilities, and the kindergarten transition may seem like just one more task. However, investing in thoughtful, inclusive practices
48 Educating Young Children
Spring 2026