School Readiness Support
School readiness prepares a child for the demands of a classroom — following group instruction, managing transitions, sitting for an activity, and handling a day structured by someone else — practiced at home before it has to work at school.
What this looks like in your home
- Sitting through a task that isn't their choice.
- Following a direction given to a group rather than to them by name.
- Managing a transition on someone else's schedule.
- Raising a hand rather than calling out.
- Handling a backpack, a lunch, and a coat in sequence.
Skills we commonly target
- Following group directions
- Sustained attention to a non-preferred task
- Transitions on a schedule
- Classroom routines
- Independence with belongings
How sessions run
Sessions start from what your child can already do and add classroom-like demands gradually. A direction given to two people in the room is closer to a group instruction than one given by name. An activity that runs to a timer rather than to your child's interest is closer to a classroom period. The point is that each step is small enough to succeed at before the next one is added.
How progress is measured
Progress is tracked continuously using data collected during sessions. Goals are reviewed and adjusted as your child grows and changes.
Your role
You know what the school day is asking of your child, and often you are the one who sees where it breaks down. Telling us what mornings look like, what the teacher reports, and which part of the day is hardest lets us aim the work at the real problem rather than a generic classroom.
Why the hard part usually isn’t academic
A school day asks a child to do many things that have nothing to do with letters and numbers. Someone else decides when an activity ends. Instructions are given to a whole room rather than to one child. A coat, a backpack, and a lunch have to be handled in order, often while other children are moving around. For many children, those demands are the part of the day that is genuinely difficult.
Practicing them at home first means the first attempt is not happening in a room with twenty-five other children and one teacher.
Keeping home and school aligned
Where you want us involved with your child’s school, we align our goals with the classroom goals so the two pull in the same direction. That can mean reading an IEP with you, preparing you for a meeting, or attending one in person. Our IEP and school collaboration page explains how that works, and nothing is shared with a school team without your permission.
Who delivers it
Sessions are delivered by a Registered Behavior Technician under ongoing supervision from your Board Certified Behavior Analyst, who designs the program, reviews the data, and updates goals.
Related services
Common questions
What does school readiness actually mean?
It means the demands of a classroom rather than academics: following group instruction, managing transitions, sitting for an activity, and handling a day structured by someone else. Those skills are practiced at home before they have to work at school.
Can classroom skills really be practiced at home?
The underlying demands can. Following a direction given to a group rather than by name, sitting through a task that isn't their choice, and moving on when someone else's schedule says so are all things that can be set up in a living room and then made gradually more school-like.
Does this replace what the school provides?
No. School readiness support runs alongside your child's school program, and we align our home goals with the classroom goals so your child isn't learning two different systems. Where families want us involved with the school team, we are.
Who delivers school readiness sessions?
A Registered Behavior Technician delivers sessions in your home under ongoing supervision from your Board Certified Behavior Analyst, who designs the program, reviews the data, and updates goals.