Connecticut Birth to Three Transition: What Happens When Your Child Turns 3

Your child has been receiving services through Connecticut's Birth to Three program, and that third birthday is coming up. The specialists who've been working with your child have been saying "we'll need to transition soon" — but no one has fully explained what that means, what your rights are, or what you should be doing right now to make sure the transition goes smoothly.

The transition from Birth to Three to school-age special education is a significant moment, and it doesn't happen automatically. If you don't take active steps, your child could face a gap in services between the end of Birth to Three and the start of school-based supports.

What Birth to Three Covers

Connecticut's Birth to Three program provides early intervention services to children from birth through age two years, eleven months. Services are provided in the child's natural environment — typically the home — and are coordinated through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), not an IEP.

Once a child turns three, the Birth to Three program ends. At that point, responsibility for providing services to eligible children shifts from the Birth to Three system to the local school district.

The transition from an IFSP under Birth to Three to an IEP under the school-age system is not automatic. It requires a process — and that process must begin long before the third birthday.

The 90-Day Conference Requirement

Connecticut law requires that a transition conference be held no later than 90 days before the child's third birthday. This means if your child turns three on June 15, the transition conference should happen by March 17 at the latest.

The purpose of the transition conference is to:

• Discuss what happens when Birth to Three ends
• Determine whether the child may be eligible for special education preschool services under the school district
• Begin the process of evaluation for school-age special education eligibility if appropriate
• Identify other community resources and supports

This conference should include the family, the Birth to Three service coordinator, and a representative from the local school district's special education department.

If you have not been contacted about a transition conference and your child is within 9 months of turning three, reach out to your Birth to Three service coordinator immediately to get this process started.

Eligibility for Preschool Special Education

Being served by Birth to Three does not automatically mean your child will be found eligible for preschool special education through the school district. The eligibility criteria are different.

Under Connecticut law and IDEA, a child ages 3 through 5 is eligible for special education if they have one of the recognized disability categories and need special education and related services as a result. Connecticut also uses a "developmental delay" category for young children — a child doesn't have to have a specific diagnosis if they have a documented developmental delay in one or more areas.

To determine eligibility, the school district must evaluate your child. This evaluation must be completed within the standard Connecticut timeline — 45 school days from the written referral. Because the evaluation needs to be completed and an IEP implemented by the time the child turns three (if they are to receive services immediately), this timeline must begin well before the birthday.

This is why the 90-day conference is so important. It allows enough time for evaluation and IEP development before services are needed.

What Preschool Special Education Looks Like

If your child is found eligible for special education at age three, the school district must provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. For preschool-age children, this can take several forms:

• Special education preschool classroom in a public school
• Integrated preschool setting (where children with and without disabilities learn together with supports)
• Home-based services in some circumstances
• Private preschool placement funded by the district, if that is the appropriate setting

The IEP — not the family's preferences or district convenience — drives the placement decision. The PPT must consider what setting allows the child to make educational progress with appropriate supports.

Preventing a Service Gap

One of the biggest risks in the Birth to Three transition is a gap in services. This happens when:

• The transition conference is delayed or the evaluation isn't requested early enough
• The evaluation isn't completed before the third birthday
• The PPT meeting to develop the IEP happens after the birthday, delaying the start of services

To avoid this:

Request the transition conference early. Don't wait for the school district to reach out. As soon as your child is 2.5 years old, begin asking your Birth to Three coordinator about the transition conference timeline.

Follow up on evaluation consent paperwork. Once the district agrees to evaluate your child, consent paperwork (form ED625) must be returned promptly. Every week of delay on your end is a week lost.

Request that the IEP start on the child's third birthday. The IEP should specify a start date. If your child turns three on June 1, the IEP should start June 1 — not "when school starts in September." If the third birthday falls over summer, the district is still required to provide services if the evaluation found the child eligible.

Put requests in writing. All communication with the school district about the transition evaluation should be in writing — email is fine. This creates a record and starts the official timeline.

If Your Child Is Found Ineligible

It's possible for a child to have received Birth to Three services but not qualify for preschool special education. This can happen if the child has made sufficient developmental progress to no longer meet the eligibility threshold, or if the team determines that the child's needs can be met through regular preschool without special education.

If you disagree with the district's eligibility determination, you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. The district must either fund the IEE or file for due process to defend its evaluation. For more on this, see the post on Connecticut independent educational evaluations.

You should also ask the PPT to document specifically why the child was found ineligible and what data supports that conclusion. Vague references to "progress" without specific evaluation data are not sufficient.

Connecting Birth to Three Records to the IEP

Your child's Birth to Three records — IFSP documents, progress notes, evaluation reports from early intervention providers — are valuable inputs to the school-age evaluation and IEP. Request copies of all these records and bring them to the transition conference and the PPT.

Early intervention data showing the trajectory of your child's development, the interventions that have worked, and the areas where progress has been slower is exactly what school-age evaluators need to do their job well. Don't assume the Birth to Three system will automatically transfer records to the district — follow up to make sure this happens.

The Birth to Three to school-age transition is one of the most important moments in a young child's special education journey. Done well, it produces a seamless handoff with no break in services. Done poorly, it produces a gap that costs children months of progress they can't afford to lose.

For a complete step-by-step guide to Connecticut's special education process — from Birth to Three transition through PPT meetings, evaluations, and advocacy — get the complete Connecticut IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook.

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