A New Chapter: What Foster Families Can Expect This School Year

September 2025 | Forever Families Blog

A new school year means a lot of changes and transitions in many Michigan households. It means going from the relaxing summer days of sleeping in, family vacations, and doing fun daily activities to a rigid schedule of being at the bus stop before sunrise, getting to classes on time, and completing all of the school assignments before the deadlines. Or it may be your little one's first year of preschool or kindergarten, just starting to learn what going to school is all about. As we all kick it into high gear with school starting, there are some things that we should all be aware of- every child of any age in Michigan has access to services to meet their developmental and educational needs.

"Every child of any age in Michigan has access to services to meet their developmental and educational needs."

I recently had the pleasure of attending a training called "Educational Opportunities" presented by therapist Elizabeth Fairchild, LMSW who is very familiar with special education within the school system, and would love to share the information with families and professionals to ensure that no child goes without the evaluations, assessments, or services that they need to succeed.

Early On: Michigan's Early Intervention System

According to the Early On website, "Early On is Michigan's system for helping infants and toddlers, birth to age 3 and their families who have developmental delay(s) and/or disabilities or are at risk for delays due to certain health conditions. It's designed to help families find the social, health, and educational services that will promote the development of their infants and toddlers with special needs."

Child Find: Federal Requirements for Schools

Additionally, Child Find is a federal requirement for school districts to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities. In Michigan, the age ranges from birth to age 25 for all children and students with disabilities who are in need, or may be in need, of special education and related services. This includes students who are homeschooled, attend private schools, homeless children, children who have dropped out of school, incarcerated youth, and others. There is a link below with additional info about Child Find.

Understanding School Assessments and Support Tiers

School age children are assessed based on classroom tests as well as standardized tests. Students receive report cards, and are assessed on their behavior and attendance as well. Students all receive tier one supports from the school as a standard which may include alternate seating, contacting parents, or tutoring as needed.

  • Tier One: Standard supports including alternate seating, parent contact, and tutoring
  • Tier Two: Targeted small group services including accommodations, check-ins, intervention classes, and peer support
  • Tier Three: Intensive supports including IEPs, 504s, modifications, one-on-one support, and special education

The Special Education Eligibility Process

The school always seeks to find the least restrictive approach when it comes to providing the services and assessments needed. This allows for the children to be among their peers and part of the standardized curriculum as much as possible. This is the reason special education would not be offered to every child if they did not absolutely need it.

The special education eligibility process includes the following:

  1. A Child Study Team to determine concerns and initial interventions
  2. The Review of Existing Evaluation Data (REED) meets to determine if there is enough data and intervention to move to an evaluation
  3. If there is, the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team meets to determine if eligibility will be recommended
  4. Once eligible, the team meets and puts a plan in place called an Individual Education Plan (IEP)

Understanding 504 Plans

Per an article from Judy Elliott, PhD on understood.org, 504 plans are covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a civil rights law. The purpose of a 504 plan is to give students with physical or mental "impairments" access to education. A 504 plan is often suggested if a child does not meet the eligibility criteria for an IEP. In order to qualify for a 504 plan, a student must have a condition that limits one or more major life activities. Learning is one of those life activities. A full evaluation that is needed for an IEP is not needed for a 504 plan.

Important Note: If a person has a medical diagnosis, this does not automatically qualify them for special accommodations. For example, a visual impairment that requires medical intervention such as glasses or contacts, which may resolve the vision issue, would not require special accommodations in the classroom. If a child were blind, however, accommodations would be needed in order for the student to be able to learn in the classroom.

Preparing for the School Year

Be prepared going into the schoolyear. If you know that your child or a child in your care is struggling, be sure to communicate with the teacher to see what is being offered to assist the child in the classroom. Find out what trauma-informed approaches the teachers utilize in the classroom (i.e. creating a safe space, establish predictability, build a sense of trust, offer choices, and staying regulated as per weareteachers.com).

If you feel an IEP or 504 should be put in place, I encourage you to first talk with the child's teacher to determine if this would be the best route. A parent or foster parent is always able to request in writing that an evaluation for an IEP be completed by the school if you feel your child needs special education.

Resources for Foster Families