A child can turn 3 in November and enter JCPS preschool during the school year if they qualify for special education. But the handoff from First Steps should begin months earlier, and the evaluation, IEP and preschool location may look very different from the services a family already knows.
A child receiving First Steps does not automatically receive a JCPS IEP when they turn 3.
Kentucky Early Intervention System, still commonly called First Steps, serves eligible children from birth until age 3. Beginning at age 3, eligible children move into the school special education system under Part B of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
For an eligible child making a timely transition from First Steps into school special education, the goal is not simply to start an evaluation by age 3. Federal rules require an IEP to be developed and implemented by the third birthday, with a separate rule for children whose birthdays fall during summer. Kentucky monitors school districts on that same third birthday requirement.
Step 1: The transition conference should happen months before the birthday
Kentucky regulation 902 KAR 30:110 requires a transition conference at least 90 calendar days before the child's third birthday. With agreement from everyone involved, it can happen as early as nine months before the birthday.
The meeting includes the family, the child's First Steps team, a representative of the local school district and staff from possible next placements. First Steps must also include a transition outcome in the child's IFSP and confirm that Child Find information has been sent to the school district.
A parent approaching that window should ask:
When is my child's transition conference, and has JCPS been invited?
Jefferson County families use the KEIS KIPDA Region Point of Entry at 310 Whittington Parkway in Louisville. The current Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services listing gives (502) 429 1249 and (800) 442 0087 as the local numbers.
Step 2: Make sure JCPS actually has the referral and the records
Kentucky requires the First Steps service coordinator to confirm that Child Find information was transmitted to the school district. With parent consent, First Steps can also provide records JCPS may need, including the child's most recent evaluation and IFSP.
Parents should keep their own copies.
Useful records can include the current IFSP, developmental evaluations, speech or occupational therapy reports, medical information that affects development and recent progress reports.
JCPS may use information it already has and may decide additional testing is needed. A preschool evaluation can involve developmental history, observations, speech and language testing, occupational or physical therapy assessment, psychological testing and other information related to the child's needs.
A screening can identify concerns. The ARC makes the eligibility decision.
If the third birthday is getting close and nobody can tell you whether JCPS has the referral, call the First Steps service coordinator and the JCPS Diagnostic Center at (502) 357 7661 the same day. Write down the date, who you spoke with and what they said the next step would be.
Step 3: Parent consent starts the 60 school day clock, but the birthday still matters
JCPS needs parental consent before completing an initial special education evaluation.
Kentucky regulation 707 KAR 1:320 gives the district 60 school days after receiving that consent to complete the evaluation and, if the child qualifies, begin specially designed instruction and related services under the IEP.
For a child who was already receiving First Steps and was referred to the school district through the normal transition process, that 60 school day period does not replace the third birthday requirement. Federal guidance says the evaluation timeline is subject to the requirement that an eligible child moving from Part C to Part B have an IEP developed and implemented by age 3.
Some children enter First Steps so close to age 3 that the normal 90 day transition window is already gone. In those late cases, federal guidance still calls for the school district to move promptly, but the ordinary evaluation timeline can extend beyond the birthday. That is different from a child who had been receiving First Steps for months and was referred through the regular transition process.
If First Steps already ended and nobody referred the child to JCPS, do not assume a transition file is still moving. Contact JCPS Child Find or the Diagnostic Center and start the school referral process.
If a child was referred through First Steps on time and the birthday arrives with the process unfinished, ask JCPS in writing for the status, the reason for the delay and the expected completion date. If the issue remains unresolved, Kentucky provides mediation, a formal written complaint process and due process hearings for IDEA disputes.
Step 4: The ARC decides whether the child qualifies
The eligibility decision belongs to the Admissions and Release Committee, usually called the ARC. Parents are members of that committee.
The ARC reviews the evaluation and decides whether the child meets Kentucky's requirements for special education.
First Steps eligibility does not guarantee an IEP.
Kentucky recognizes developmental delay as a special education category for children ages 3 through 8. The ARC still has to determine whether the individual child meets the eligibility requirements and needs special education.
A medical diagnosis also does not automatically dictate which services will appear in an IEP.
What if the child does not qualify?
First Steps still ends at age 3.
Families can continue medically appropriate speech, occupational, physical or other therapy outside the school system when those services are available through health providers or insurance.
JCPS directs families who do not qualify for state preschool to Community Coordinated Child Care, commonly called 4C, for help finding early learning options. Greater Louisville Head Start also provides another possible preschool path for families who meet its eligibility requirements.
At age 4, some children can qualify for JCPS state preschool based on household income even without an IEP. A decision that a child does not qualify for special education at age 3 also does not prevent another referral later if new concerns develop or the child's needs change. JCPS Child Find remains available for children who may have a disability and need special education. JCPS currently lists (502) 485 3170 for Child Find.
Step 5: If the child qualifies, the ARC writes the IEP
First Steps uses an Individualized Family Service Plan. School special education uses an Individualized Education Program, or IEP.
Kentucky regulation requires the ARC to consider the child's existing IFSP when developing the new IEP. Parents also have a useful option during the handoff: if the parent asks, JCPS must invite a representative of the early intervention program to the initial transition ARC meeting.
Parents can simply say:
I would like my child's First Steps representative invited to the initial transition ARC.
The IEP may include specially designed instruction and related services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy when the ARC determines those services are required.
Do not expect the school plan to look exactly like First Steps.
First Steps is built around the family and often delivers services through everyday routines in the child's natural environment. JCPS services are school based and are designed around the child's educational needs. The provider, location, frequency and way a service is delivered can change.
Parents should leave the ARC process knowing the answers to a few blunt questions:
What services will my child receive?
How often will they receive them?
Where will the services happen?
What goals will the team be working on?
How will I know whether my child is making progress?
Step 6: A JCPS preschool assignment may not be the school near your house
Children do not have to wait for the next August simply because they turn 3 after the school year begins.
JCPS says children who turn 3 during the school year and qualify for Exceptional Child Education services through First Steps or Child Find become eligible for the state preschool program during that school year.
But JCPS preschool is not located at every elementary school.
The district says it determines preschool placement using the child's transportation address and other factors. A newly eligible child may therefore be assigned somewhere other than the neighborhood elementary school the family expected.
JCPS closed 10 Early Childhood sites after the 2025 to 2026 school year and opened Diane L. Porter Preschool in Buechel for 2026 to 2027. Placement still comes from the district, not from an old neighborhood preschool list.
Diane L. Porter Preschool opened in August at 3950 Frederica Drive, behind Watterson Elementary. JCPS says the building contains 23 preschool classrooms and was designed to serve 460 children.
Ask:
Where will my child's services actually be delivered, and what transportation will be available?
That answer can affect child care, work schedules and the rest of the family's day.
What if the third birthday falls during summer?
Federal regulations have a separate rule for summer birthdays.
When an eligible child's third birthday occurs during summer, the IEP team determines when the child's IEP services will begin. Families with June, July or early August birthdays should get that answer during the transition process rather than assuming services automatically begin either on the birthday or on the first day of preschool.
Families who want more background on evaluations, IEPs and parent rights can also use the JCPS Insider Special Education Parent Guides.
Before First Steps closes the case, know these 10 answers
Has the First Steps transition conference happened?
Has JCPS received the referral and relevant First Steps records?
Has the family signed consent for any evaluation JCPS needs?
When will the ARC meet to determine eligibility?
If the child qualifies, has the IEP been completed?
What instruction and related services are written into the IEP?
Where will those services be delivered?
When will services begin?
Does the child need transportation or another support written into the IEP?
Who should the parent contact if something does not happen on schedule?
For First Steps, Jefferson County families can contact the KEIS KIPDA Region Point of Entry at (502) 429 1249 or (800) 442 0087.
For JCPS Early Childhood, the district's current page lists (502) 485 3919. For Preschool Student Assignment, JCPS lists (502) 485 7677.
For a preschool special education referral, JCPS lists the Diagnostic Center at (502) 357 7661. For Child Find, the current district number is (502) 485 3170.