We Listen To People and Data

The Avela Working Group meeting focused on improving clarity, accessibility, and consistency within the Early Childhood application process. The District Moderator emphasized incorporating parent and provider feedback into final recommendations to district leadership.

The Avela Working Group meeting focused on improving clarity, accessibility, and consistency within the Early Childhood application process. The District Moderator led the discussion, emphasizing the importance of incorporating parent and provider feedback into the final recommendations to district leadership.

Respondent 1 and Respondent 2 recommended replacing the term “grade” with “age group” to avoid confusion for families. Respondent 3 shared that families moving from other states struggle with inconsistent terminology, and Respondent 4 identified misunderstandings around unborn infant age cutoffs.

When reviewing questions related to IFSP and IEP services, Respondent 4 suggested adding an option for families receiving limited services without a full plan. The group also discussed clarifying temporary living situations and ensuring language aligns with state guidelines.

For household composition, the District Moderator noted that only individuals providing financial support should be counted. Respondent 2 identified unclear language, and Respondent 3, referencing single-parent experiences, stressed the need for clearer definitions that reflect diverse family structures.

The group also examined sibling priority, including how families should list preferences for multiple children and how placement works when siblings currently attend different schools. Additional suggestions included using a dropdown for application years, simplifying language-preference and marital-status questions, and ensuring documentation requirements (especially proof of residency and check stubs) are clearly stated.

The meeting also raised concerns about missing demographic questions and clarified that some schools require a gifted IEP for specific early childhood seat eligibility.

• Terminology: Replace “grade” with “age group”; clarify unborn infant age cutoffs and inconsistent terms for families new to the state.
• Services (IFSP/IEP): Add an option for families receiving limited services without a full plan; align language with state guidelines.
• Temporary living: Clarify questions and definitions around temporary housing situations.
• Household composition: Count only individuals providing financial support; strengthen definitions to reflect diverse family structures (including single-parent households).
• Sibling priority: Clarify how families list preferences for multiple children and how placement works when siblings attend different schools.
• Form improvements: Use a dropdown for application years, simplify language-preference and marital-status questions, and clearly state documentation requirements (proof of residency, check stubs).
• Eligibility notes: Address missing demographic questions; clarify that some schools require a gifted IEP for specific early childhood seat eligibility.