For parents

You have the right to understand.

Every meeting about your child. Every paper you're asked to sign. In your language, at no cost to you. Here is what that means.

Children under 3

Your rights in Early Intervention.

If your child is under 3 and getting Early Intervention services — or being evaluated for them — you have the right to:

An interpreter at every evaluation and every IFSP meeting. (The IFSP is the written plan for your child's services.)
Have documents explained in your language before you sign them.
Say no. Nothing changes for your child without your consent.
Ask questions until you understand. The meeting is not over until you do.

All of this is free for your family. The Early Intervention program pays for it.

School-age children

Your rights under IDEA.

IDEA is the federal law for special education. If your child has an IEP — or is being evaluated for one — you have the right to:

An interpreter at every IEP meeting. Not a staff member who happens to be bilingual. Not your older child.
Translated documents — the IEP, evaluation reports, and the yearly letter that explains your rights.
Understand before you agree. If you didn't understand it, you didn't really agree to it.
Disagree. You can ask questions, ask for another evaluation, or say no to a placement.

Working with the school

Your rights with the school district.

The district pays for the interpreter and the translations — never you.
You can ask for an interpreter before any meeting — and you should, as early as you can.
You can bring someone you trust to any meeting.
Your service coordinator (in EI) or your district's family advocate (in school) can help you ask. So can we.

How this is paid for

You should not be paying out of pocket.

Early Intervention (under age 3).

Early Intervention covers the cost of an interpreter for eligible families. Federal IDEA Part C treats language access as part of the program, not as something the family has to pay for.

K-12 (your child has or is being evaluated for an IEP).

The school district is required to provide an interpreter at IEP meetings and to translate the documents you need to make decisions about your child's education. You do not pay the district for it, and the district does not bill you. If a district has asked you to pay, that is not how it is supposed to work — call us.

Outside school (private case, second opinion, advocacy).

If your situation isn't covered by the program or the district — a private evaluation, a meeting with an advocate — call us before you spend anything. Often there is still a way to get language access covered, and we will tell you if there is. If you truly do need to hire an interpreter yourself, we will tell you that too, plainly.

Plain words

Early Intervention words, explained.

The words you will hear in Early Intervention.

Early Intervention (EI): Services that support babies and toddlers (under 3) with how they move, talk, play, and learn.
IFSP: The Individualized Family Service Plan — the written plan that says which services your child gets, how often, and where. You help write it.
Service coordinator: Your main contact person. They set up evaluations, meetings, and services — and they are the person to ask for an interpreter.
Evaluation: A visit where specialists check how your child moves, talks, plays, and learns, to see if your child qualifies for help.
Eligible: Your child qualifies for services. If the evaluation says your child is eligible, services can start.
Consent: Your written permission. Nothing starts, stops, or changes without it.
Related services: The therapies themselves — speech, physical therapy, occupational therapy — usually in your home.
Natural environment: Where your child normally is — usually your home. EI services mostly happen there, not in an office.
Transition at 3: When your child turns 3, Early Intervention ends. If your child still needs help, the school district takes over — and the plan changes from an IFSP to an IEP.
IEP: The Individualized Education Program — the school-age version of the plan, written with the school district once your child turns 3.

Questions?

Prefer to talk? Call us.

No forms here. If you have a question about your child's services, your rights, or an upcoming meeting, call us — in your language.

Call (973) 886-3301

If you'd rather write, you can do that too — in your language. Write to us instead