Navigating the School

System
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Presented by Cachi Alvarez

Early Intervention

Early Steps: from birth to 3 years of age

Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP)
Childrens Medical Services
Early Steps Locations:
North: 1120 NW 14th Street, 12th Floor
(305) 243-5600
www.cms-kids.com/earlysteps/
South including Monroe County: 17615 SW 97th Avenue
(786) 268-2611
www.mch.com

**Early Intervention is KEY**

Individualized Educational Plan

(IEP) Process

Children entering into the school system with an

IFSP are automatically enrolled for an annual IEP

Parents will receive a notification of meeting along

with procedural safeguards

Parents attend a meeting with a multi-disciplinary

team consisting of

Staffing specialist
Special education teacher
General education teacher
LEA representative

Programs

Pre-Kindergarten
DD: Developmentally Delayed

Kindergarten 12th Grade

EBD: Emotional
Intrinsic Psychiatric
Extrinsic Emotional

ASD: Autism
PI: Physically Impaired
HI: Hearing Impaired
VI: Vision Impaired
IND: Intellectual Disability
OHI: Other Health Impaired
Language Impaired
SLD: Specific Learning Disability

Related Services
Speech/Language
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy

Options when services are

denied

Contact the program specialist for the

special education program at your childs
school and request an IEP meeting

Prior to the IEP meeting

Request the physicians statement and mutual
exchange form
Private psychological evaluation

OHI Program or LD Program

Three-Tiered Model of Service

Delivery

This model provides a range of

supplemental instructional interventions
with increasing levels of intensity to address
their individual needs in the classroom.

This is done to place the child in the least

restrictive environment.

Each tier can take between 6-12 weeks to

complete

McKay Scholarship for Students

with Disabilities Program

In order to qualify, the child must have an active

IEP for one year.
Choose a qualifying school found on the McKay
website
File a letter of intent
Enroll child in school
Funding for school is based on the childs matrix
score
The child must perform academically and
behaviorally as non-disabled peers
The child must abide by the schools standards

Resources

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

www.dadeschools.net

Miami-Dade County Public Schools for Special Education

http://ese.dadeschools.net/

Florida Kidcare
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/alternatesites/kidcare/

Florida Prepaid
http://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/

McKay Scholarship
http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/mckay/

Early Steps North Dade:

www.cms-kids.com/earlysteps/

Early Steps South Dade:

http://www.mch.com/content.aspx?pageid=2023

Miami Childrens Hospital:

www.mch.com

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/1999-2/062499a.pdf

Contact Information
Cachi Alvarez
bwsosf@gmail.com
www.bwsosf.org