Extended School Year

Extended school year (ESY) is a special education service that goes beyond the usual school year, into the summer.  It is provided by the federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The issue is whether the benefits obtained during the regular school year will be significantly jeopardized if the child is not provided an educational program during the summer months. The child’s IEP team makes the ultimate decision on whether the child can attend ESY services.  Aiden has been fortunate to have had pretty good IEP teams that have always pushed for him to attend ESY services. That decision was based on their efforts to prevent or reduce possible academic regression (decline in knowledge and skills that result from an interruption in education) and to minimize recoupment (the amount of time it takes to regain the prior level of functioning).  ESY is not exactly like regular school. He only goes for 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, for 5 weeks with a week break in between, but I’m grateful that he goes. Aiden relies heavily on routines and schedules. Stopping all that, once the school year ends, is difficult for him even with ESY and the routines that I keep for him at home. Fortunately, Aiden also likes ESY.  He doesn’t love it, but he does like it.  I think all the familiarity of being around his school friends and school routines makes him feel more comfortable.  I hope he’ll continue to receive ESY services every year.