Many students qualify for Extended School Year (ESY) and attend school for an additional month in the summer. ESY is typically for students with higher support needs. The IEP team determines that a student is eligible when they find that the student will have significant learning loss over the summer and will take extensive time in the fall to recoup their skills.
Parents can choose whether or not they want their student to attend.
Whether or not your child attends ESY: what should parents do to help their children during the summer?
As parents, we want to make the most of our child’s time and educational opportunities. This may be a time to have some additional social skills classes, sport camps, speech sessions, and the like. Perhaps it also allows for your child to pursue some other interests.
At the same time, we want to encourage you to budget time to allow them to just be. Summers might mean passing leisurely days spent doing relatively little, and experiencing less structure than during the school year. Perhaps they have always wanted to learn more about non-academic things like arts and crafts or soccer. A summer that has free time can give your student a chance to develop and explore other interests. It is not only okay to take a break from school – it is likely to be most welcome for many students. Some of my favorite memories are summer days, looking up at the sky.
There are some exceptions, of course. If your student has higher support needs and does better with a lot more structure, then keep that while providing flexibility where possible. That is where ESY can help, and possibly some other structured, scheduled activities.
For help at your child’s next IEP meeting, more information about our special education advocacy services, or for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for you, call or email today!
As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.