Which ISD best for speech & preschool - Leander, Round Rock, or Cedar Park? (Austin: low income, renting)

[Indigoblue]

Our first year we'll be renting and my husband's job is located at about where Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Austin meet. So we have some flexibility in where we'll live. This coming school year I will have 2 of my children getting services through the public school system, and my 1yo getting early speech services. I'm hoping someone in the know could look over the below brief synopsis of their needs and advise whether one ISD would be better to live in than the other.

I'll have a Kindergartener being pulled for speech through the week. Do the ISD's differ in how often and for how long speech services happen? What do they miss in order to attend speech?

I'll have a 4yo recommended for either communication classes or preschool. On top of his articulation needs he has some behavioral issues. Do they offer "communication classes" as an option in any of these ISD's or is it either drive them in for speech therapy or preschool. Are the preschools half day or full day?

And lastly my 2yo. What types of services are offered to toddlers in the various cities?

Sorry this was wordy and probably looks very technical but I'm hoping there are people reading this that know what I"m talking about and will be able to lend their advice

[neddy]

We were in speech at the beginning of the school year in Leander ISD since my 4 yr old has tubes so he was late getting some of the sounds. We went twice a week for 45 mins at a time to the local school and I was very pleased with the service that they offer. Thats the only service that he needed so I have no clue about the other services that you spoke about. Public preschools in Texas are half a day and you have to show a need for it to get into , low income, ESL or a couple of other things check on the ISD website and that will tell you. I do know that say you went to a private preschool that if your child needed speech the district will provide busing if you need it. Good luck!

[jwb123]

My son receives speech (and PT, OT and vision) through Round Rock school district, in addition to full time PPCD (developmental preschool) and I couldn't be happier! I am very pleased with the specific attention he gets, and quality of services - as well as loving, supportive, nurturing staff.

[neddy]

Cedar Park and Leander are the same ISD, Leander ISD.

[Indigoblue]

Thank you for the info so far. Unfortunately I had a typo in my title but you can't edit those. I was also hoping for info on the Austin ISD services. So Leander ISD, Round Rock ISD, and Austin ISD.

Jenbar, how long does preschool last in Round Rock?

PS. Another way to get preschool services is to have at least two areas of need, though if the speech problems (or other problems) are very severe in my experience they will try to get more services, whatever the next jump up might be. It never hurts to ask if you are nervous your child isn't progressing well.

[jwb123]

Jenbar, how long does preschool last in Round Rock?

It varies, depending on the specific need for the child. Our first year here, my son went for 4 hours. That's what he was getting in WA state, so they are required to give at least that. This year, he's kinder age and ready for more, but we all agreed to keep him in PPCD for one more year, with some inclusion (beginning of the year was PreK inclusion, now he's in Kinder inclusion) hours. He's been full time the whole year and loves it!!

I'll have a Kindergartener being pulled for speech through the week. Do the ISD's differ in how often and for how long speech services happen? What do they miss in order to attend speech?

My son, who will be in full time Kinder next year - no more PPCD - will still get speech and they try to do it while in the classroom setting, and really try to eliminate "pulling" the child from the classroom altogether, when it can be avoided. Your child's speech needs (length of time and how often) will be specific to yout child - and not mandated by an umbrella time allotment given by the ISD. Usually it's something like a half hour 2x a week - or something similar. Our school, and I don't know if this is the same for every school, has "resource time" where a teacher comes and does pull a child out if there is a *specific* skill they need to work on, that may require more one on one focus.

PS. Another way to get preschool services is to have at least two areas of need, though if the speech problems (or other problems) are very severe in my experience they will try to get more services, whatever the next jump up might be. It never hurts to ask if you are nervous your child isn't progressing well.

My son has global developmental issues, and a disability - so it's a no-brainer that he qualifies. I know for children who maybe just have speech issues, that aren't severe there are other levels of services such as non-preschool therapy sessions, where you basically Each district will have their own qualifing methods and assessment is usually done through play-based testing.

Of the three choices, I would eliminate Austin ISD altogether. As I am sure you know, children with special learning needs really need to be in a stable and well funded school district, while they are receiving services. While Austin ISD does have some good schools in it, parents with children in programs like these often have to fight for the very basic in services - so it's my personal opinion that sticking with a more well rounded district, in these scenarios, is just the better choice. If we were talking strictly typical children, I wouldn't feel so strongly about it. Really, I don't think you can go wrong with either Leander or Round Rock ISD.... but my personal experience is based in Round Rock. We have been very happy.

[gigi927]

I can comment on the PPCD (called ELE or Early Learning Environment) preschool in Leander ISD. My son graduated out of the Leander ELE preschool in January. The preschool hours used to be 7:45-12:45 - so a nice 5 hour day, but Leander just changed its program and now it is a standard 4 hour program. I believe it varies from school to school as to what the hours are. For example, in River Place Elementary, they are doing two shifts of children - one shift goes from 7:45 to 11:45 and the other group goes from 9:45 to 1:45. I think that is personally a really a@@inine way of handling it - these are children that typically have difficulty with transitions, so having kids come in and out is really not well advised IMO. However, that may have been a temporary solution to a separate school problem (there is a school in LISD that could not open on time in the fall and they are using RP Elementary space and kids from both schools are in the one ELE program - I am not sure since my child went to Laura Bush in Steiner).

So, my advice is check on the particular SCHOOL as far as hours. I had nothing but great experience with the ELE program and ELE teachers at Laura Bush El. in LISD. They went above and beyond to address my child's specific needs and the program really had a lot of structure to it. My son totally thrived in the ELE environment and I credit the program in helping him make the progress he did as quickly as he did. I am not aware of any "communication classes" but maybe they exist. My son has sensory integration disorder and they addressed that directly in the preschool environment (very successfully, I might add).

As far as your two year old, I don't know of any school system that offers services to 2 year olds...I assume that would be covered by the ECI program here for birth to three. You should contact the ECI office in Texas to get your child assessed ASAP and see if/what services are needed.

Just as a side comment on the Austin ISD front for anyone who is interested, I have an acquaintance who has a child with Asperger's and he said that the NW part of Austin ISD actually has a very strong, autism-specific program that is better than the programs in a lot of other districts. Obviously he did a lot of research before picking where to live based on his son's Asperger's. The son attends Anderson HS in Austin ISD and they have been very happy with the program there.

[jwb123]

As far as your two year old, I don't know of any school system that offers services to 2 year olds...I assume that would be covered by the ECI program here for birth to three. You should contact the ECI office in Texas to get your child assessed ASAP and see if/what services are needed.

I guess I missed the ages we were talking about - I agree with gigi... A 2 yr old would either be in private therapy here, or being serviced through birth to three/ECI. I want to say the name Bluebonnet, rings a bell? Or Little Tesoros??? This link may help.

TxP2P Parent Services (http://www.txp2p.org/resourcedir/Region3.htm#Williamson - broken link)

[jwb123]

Also addressing gigi's comment on Austin ISD and Autism, she is probably right. With Autism and autism spectrum disorders at epidemic levels, and with all the focus and controversy about it - there are more options, specific programs and funding with services for children with autism and autism spectrum disorders, that aren't there for children with other disabilities or delays.... so my comment re: Austin ISD for kids with Autism may not apply across the board if your issue may be autism, or suspected autism. We aren't dealing with autism, so my experience is limited.

[stephr]

I am a PPCD teacher in Austin ISD. We consider Autism an eligibility category for special education here in Texas, it is called AU. If your child has a diagnosis, you will receive PPCD services because there is an educational need. I think Austin ISD has a bad reputation for whatever reason. We live in a great school zone in Cedar Park, but I will send my child to school in Austin ISD if I am still working for the district when he starts kinder. There are awesome exemplary rated schools in Austin ISD, you just need to know which ones. Austin ISD is much larger than Round Rock or Cedar Park and considerably more diverse across income and ethnicity, I feel a child greatly benefits from a diverse environment.

When a child is approaching their third birthday and they are receiving ECI services (through Easter Seals, Pride, early intervention) the child is evaluated by the school district in which you reside. If you at all are concerned about your child after the age of three you contact your local district (special education department) to request an evaluation. If the child is not three (birth up to age 3) you contact Early Intervention Services Early Childhood Intervention Services to reach your local organization.

In Austin ISD, this the breakdown for the number of hours kids receive through PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities). To be eligible under the different time frames, remember September 1 is the birth date cutoff. If a child turns 4 on September 2nd, they are still considered a 3 three year old for the entire school year (it is the age on September 1 that dictates the hours). Three year olds receive 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, 4 year olds receive 6 hours 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week, 5 year olds receive 7 hours per day, 5 days per week. Every single child in my classroom this year has a speech impairment, some have behavioral issues, and Autism. But, if the speech delay is serious enough they will be eligible for PPCD. Programs vary from school to school, some teachers are better equipped to deal with more challenging children, just because you are living in the cities of Cedar Park, Leander, or Round Rock, does not mean you get a better preschool experience.