District 75

My youngest who has autism is in CPSE now. I still have another year as he will only be 4 in May, but already starting to think about the kindergarten process.

From what I understand and have researched, it looks like District 75 schools are housed in regular elementary schools. Do we tour a few schools? How would we even know which ones would be good (there are so many)? When would we start looking? Anything else I should know? TIA

District 75

I work in a D75 school in queens. I'm still relatively new to the DOE so I don't know all the details. But yes they are housed in regular schools. It can get confusing, at least to me. For example, your child could be in P123Q @ PS 999, where P123Q is the D75 school and the PS 999 is regular school that is housed. I believe when you start the Turning 5 process the CSE will recommend a class size (12:1:1, 6:1:1, 12:1:4, etc) and then you tour schools that have openings in a class that fits your child. However, not all 12:1:1 to classes, for example, are the same so you have to go and evaluate each one. Some for example might have students are who standardized and some may have students who are alternatively assessed. A 6:1:1 is generally considered an Autism class but they are not all alike. And I think some schools are geared more towards working with students with Autism. I know there is one on 188 St in Flushing that is all D75 in the building and geared towards Autism for example.

Re: District 75

Thank you. Right now he is in an 8:1:2 class. I have no idea what they will recommend for kindergarten for him. I know we still have plenty of time, but like you said there are so many schools and different types of classrooms, etc. and this is after they do the assessment at the turning five meeting and we determine the type of placement. So overwhelming .

District 75

It must be! I work in a K-5 program. And I've gotten a few students on my caseload mid year who are in K because the parents weren't happy with the program that they chose/was recommended. At least at my school, it seems like certain pre-schools seem to filter into our program. Not sure if some CSE reps seems to have preferences.

Re: District 75

It's funny you say that because I asked another mom how she decided where to send her son in kindergarten (he's now in middle school) and she said his pre-school recommended the elementary school he went to. She toured it (was the only school) and sent him there. In her case, she was happy with the decision. I would want to tour more than 1 school though (even though I know you can't get a completely picture from just a tour).

District 75

I agree, I think it'd be hard to get an idea from just a tour. If it was me I would definitely check out more than one school or site. I think most schools have a family liason that may be able to hook you up with another family that you could talk to. I'm a speech pathologist so I just know from reading my student's IEP's which pre-schools they've come from and noticed the trend.

District 75

I am a D75 teacher as well. SOME D75 programs are housed in gen ed buildings. Some are self contained. And some are a combo. For example, I work for P4. We have our own self contained buildings (179 and Skillman) and then 3 programs housed in gen ed buildings (213, 270 and inclusion-161). You will receive a letter after your turning 5 meeting from placement with your options for schools. Tour ALL of them. Decide what's best for your child. Bring an advocate or someone you feel you can trust. D75 is awesome, but can at times be hard to navigate. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. I've been with D75 for 10 years. I don't check here super often but will try to look more frequently.

District 75

I am a D75 teacher as well. SOME D75 programs are housed in gen ed buildings. Some are self contained. And some are a combo. For example, I work for P4. We have our own self contained buildings (179 and Skillman) and then 3 programs housed in gen ed buildings (213, 270 and inclusion-161). You will receive a letter after your turning 5 meeting from placement with your options for schools. Tour ALL of them. Decide what's best for your child. Bring an advocate or someone you feel you can trust. D75 is awesome, but can at times be hard to navigate. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. I've been with D75 for 10 years. I don't check here super often but will try to look more frequently.

Re: District 75

Thanks so much for your advice. I see it's a lot to navigate which is why I am starting to look into the process now (get prelim info on schools, etc.).