Worried about losing Early Start services at age 3? Here’s how the transition to preschool works in the Bay Area. Join Allie and Monica, two specialists and members of our Therapist Collective, serving the SF Bay Area during this crucial period of transition.
What Happens When Your Child Turns 3 in California?
The 3rd birthday marks a special transition from home based services to community- or academic- based services. Before the age of 3, services are provided in the “natural environment”, which is typically at home. After 3, services transition to medical or academic settings, such as a clinic or school. Some providers may continue to see clients at home, but this is often via private pay or insurance.
Why Age 3 Is a Big Deal
When your child turns three, services shift from Early Start (regional centers) to school districts. This is called the Part C to Part B transition—and many Bay Area parents feel blindsided by it. It can feel disorienting to go from a home-based care team with a focus on parent coaching, to a school-based team with a focus on academic goals with parents not present. Age 3 is the transition moment in which many parents express sadness and a longing to protect their child’s therapeutic experience.
What Changes at Age 3
- Regional Center services may end
- School district evaluates for an IEP
- Services may decrease or change format
The third birthday is a big milestone, and marks an important period called the Part C to Part B transition, which involves a necessary shift from Early Start (Regional Centers) to services provided by your local school district. During this time, the rules change: your Regional Center services may end, your child will be evaluated by the school district for an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and the format or amount of services you receive may change.
To help you prepare for this, we break down why schools are legally required to conduct their own evaluations, how medical and school criteria differ, and how to strategically use any outside diagnoses in this mini episode led by Licensed Educational Psychologist and non-attorney parent advocate Monica Trost.
To ease this shift, your Regional Center case manager should contact you a few months before your child’s third birthday to schedule a transition meeting with the school district. This is where you will enroll your child and receive the Assessment Plan (AP) to start the evaluation process. This process has a critical, short timeline: the special education assessment must be completed prior to your child turning three to ensure there is no lapse in services. If your child is about three months from turning three and this meeting hasn’t been set, please reach out to your case manager right away.
Monica emphasizes that being prepared and proactive is absolutely crucial, especially if your child’s birthday is during summer vacation when districts may be closed. Monica, who has guided her own two children through this transition, shares that navigating the eligibility rules and legal requirements can feel confusing, stating, “School teams are wonderful, but they may not have the time and resources to fully explain to you your rights and what this whole process entails”. To help you gain clarity and confidence when you need it most, Monica has created a guide for families tackling the very first step of the process. You can master this initial paperwork and feel empowered by reading: How to Master the IEP Assessment Plan before your child is even evaluated.
Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist Allie Glazer, M.S. CCC-SLP/L encourages all parents to know their child’s strengths, needs, and progress towards prior and existing goals set by the Early Intervention team (including the caregivers!). She suggests bringing “a list of questions to each meeting of the assessment. Gather the discharge reports from your early intervention team, and share them with the school district team. With your consent, the regional center should share these reports directly with the school team as part of the transition process. However, this often does not happen, or they get lost in the sea of paperwork that accompanies this time”. Typically, there’s 2-3 appointments, including a virtual caregiver interview, the actual assessment of your child by the school team, and the Individual Education Program meeting the reviews results of the assessment and overall eligibility.
What If My Child Doesn’t Qualify?
The fear of being found to Not Qualify (DNQ) for school-based services is the biggest concern for many parents, as many children who received early intervention services don’t meet the school district’s stricter criteria. During the IEP process, you will frequently hear the school team explain the crucial difference between “medical and educational” eligibility. This is a key distinction: your child may have a medical diagnosis, like autism, but not meet the California educational code threshold under that category.
If your child is found to not qualify, Monica emphasizes the importance of being proactive and understanding your rights. Her best advice is to ask questions and get a second opinion before signing any paperwork. Monica urges families to “truly understand your procedural safeguards,” which the district provides at every meeting and outlines what to do if you disagree with the evaluations. Because it can feel intimidating to be in a room full of professionals, she suggests bringing someone (like a friend, parent advocate, or therapist who knows your child and education well) to the meeting to help review the paperwork and ensure everything makes sense.
If you find yourself in this situation, you still have important avenues for continued support and growth. Your options include pursuing services such as:
Options:
- Private OT/speech
- Inclusion preschools
- Play-based developmental support (your lane)
Allie Glazer shares a blog post on “3 Ways to Find an SLP”– the school district is one option, but you also have other pathways, including requesting a referral from your pediatrician for services covered by your insurance, or self-referring to a local SLP for private pay services and requesting a superbill. While this blog post focuses on finding an SLP, the pathways are the same for physical therapy, feeding therapy, or occupational therapy.
What to Do Now!
- Request an evaluation through the district BEFORE age 3
- Get reports in writing
- Bring an advocate if needed
As you navigate this transition, you may be in need of a space to relax, get answers, and vent! Spirited Play Labs is a specialized, membership-based inclusive play space in the San Francisco Bay Area. This sensory friendly space has been intentionally designed for neurodivergent, disabled and neurotypical children aged 18 months to 8 years.
At Spirited Play Labs, we use a relationship-based approach, inspired by DIR/Floortime, which helps parents understand what’s underneath the behavior—and how to support it. We focus on connection, regulation, flexibility and confidence in relationships. We build these skills through play.
The Spirited Play Labs Premium Membership was created for families navigating transitions like Early Intervention when support is hard to access. It gives you what most families are missing and was designed to provide families with an opportunity to understand their child on a deeper level and what they truly need.
As a member, you’ll have continued guidance so you can keep growing alongside your child while connecting with other parents who understand this experience. Spirited Play Labs is a place where your child is seen, and where you feel supported, not judged.
Thanks to Our Guest writers:
Monica Trost, LEP #4660, Prepared Parent Advocate
Monica Trost is a Licensed Educational Psychologist and non-attorney parent advocate dedicated to empowering families navigating the complexities of the special education system. As a specialist who has personally guided her own two children through the Part C to Part B transition, Monica brings a unique and compassionate perspective to her work. She provides strategic guidance and resources to support Bay Area children in securing accurate and appropriate Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). You can find her guides, workshops, and the “ABC of the IEP” podcast at Prepared Parent Advocate.
Facebook/Instagram @preparedparentadvocate
Allie Glazer, M.S. CCC-SLP/L, Owner, Founder of alliemslp Speech Therapy Group, Inc.
Allie is an Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathologist and feeding therapist, who has extensive experience (10+ years!) with the birth-5 population. Her passion is working with tiny humans and their community, because it takes a village to best support a family.
She provides individual speech, language, and feeding therapy, group infant and toddler enrichment classes, as well as parent/caregiver coaching, consultation and resource exploration. She also presents at conferences and community events on language development, and trains teams to support kids with feeding challenges. You can find her at www.alliemslp.com, and on IG/TikTok/FB under “alliemslp”.
