Turning 5: from a preschool IEP to a kindergarten IEP

The year your child turns five, the preschool IEP does not simply roll forward. New York City runs a separate review, called the Kindergarten IEP Process, and the result can be a new IEP, different services, or no IEP at all. Service gaps can start here, in the handoff between preschool and a new school. This guide follows the official steps and points out where to keep watch.

Two processes at once

The NYC Public Schools say families of children with disabilities entering kindergarten take part in two processes: ordinary kindergarten admissions, and the Kindergarten IEP Process, or KIP, which decides special education services. The DOE says children enter kindergarten in September of the year they turn five, and that the transition begins the school year before, while your child is still in preschool. Details are on the DOE's kindergarten students page.

How it starts

If your child already has a preschool IEP, the DOE says the CPSE refers your child for a school-age evaluation. A kindergarten IEP team then contacts you and shares a Prior Written Notice explaining that NYCPS proposes a reevaluation. Your team leader is usually a school psychologist or social worker. Before the meeting, the team may observe your child in preschool and review evaluations and progress reports. You get a letter saying whether new assessments are needed, and if so they ask your consent and send you the reports before the meeting.

The meeting

The DOE says you will get a letter with the date, time and place at least five days before the meeting. A few things worth acting on early:

• If you want a parent member or a doctor there, the DOE says to tell your KIP Representative at least 72 hours before.
• If you need an interpreter, tell your KIP Representative and NYCPS will provide one. See our page on asking for an interpreter.
• If your child has an offer at a school other than the zoned one, tell your representative before the meeting.
• If your child may need special busing for a medical reason, send the medical forms as early as you can.

At the meeting, the team decides whether your child meets one of 13 disability classifications. In preschool every child is a "Preschool Student with a Disability," so this is a real change. If your child is not found eligible, the DOE says they are "declassified" and go to general education, possibly with declassification support services such as speech therapy or counseling. If eligible, a kindergarten IEP is written, and the DOE says you receive a copy within two weeks.

Where the gap opens

The DOE says that starting in May you may get a green school location letter listing the services and the school that will provide them. The services are planned in spring, but they have to be delivered by a school that may not have been at the meeting. That handoff is where September problems can appear: no provider yet, a therapy schedule nobody has built, or a bus that was never arranged. The DOE says if the new school did not take part in the meeting, its staff may invite you to a family meeting, and you can ask the parent coordinator or principal for one yourself.

Protecting the first weeks

1. Get the IEP before September. If two weeks pass with no copy, ask in writing.
2. Ask for the family meeting. Bring the IEP and ask who will provide each service and when it starts.
3. Log from day one. Note each session that does or does not happen. Our free printables include a tracking sheet.
4. Escalate in order. The DOE says your KIP Representative is the first contact. If they or the CSE office cannot fix it, call 311 or email KindergartenIEPProcess@schools.nyc.gov with your child's name and date of birth, the school or CSE, and a short description.

When a kindergartner goes weeks without services the IEP lists, families sometimes look into compensatory services. These can sometimes be awarded through a hearing or a settlement when required services were not provided, and no one can promise that result.

If your child has gone weeks or months without what the IEP promises, you can ask for a free callback. We explain what families in your situation usually do and, where it fits, connect you with help. There is no cost to you, now or later.

Next step: Free printables: checklist and missed-services log or ask for a free callback.

Last reviewed: October 2026