Skip to content
CSHCNFamily GuideFind support

Learn and participate

Child Care and the ADA

Bring health, access, communication, and learning needs into one practical conversation with child care or school partners.

Start here

Connect access, health, and learning in one conversation.

School and child-care planning works best when the team understands the child’s strengths, participation goals, health routines, communication, access needs, and how progress will be observed.

For this page, keep the working question visible: What should the next person understand or do?

A practical sequence

  1. 01

    Describe participation

    Explain what the child can do, what gets in the way, what support helps, and which school or child-care moments matter most.

  2. 02

    Bring usable information

    Share concise care instructions and relevant evaluations while keeping private detail limited to what the team needs.

  3. 03

    Ask for clear responsibilities

    Record who will provide each support, where it happens, how often, and how the family will hear whether it is working.

  4. 04

    Plan transitions between settings

    Prepare handoffs for arrival, transportation, classroom changes, field trips, absences, hospital-to-school return, and emergency procedures.

Bring these details together

A short working checklist.

  • Strengths and participation goals
  • Communication supports
  • Relevant health plan
  • Accessibility or accommodation needs
  • Named responsibilities
  • Progress check-in date
  • Transition and emergency procedures

Use with care

Keep professional instructions separate from general guidance.

Education and disability rights depend on individual facts and current law. Use this guide to prepare questions for the school, program, advocate, or qualified legal professional.

Need a different starting point?

Find the resource that fits the need in front of your family.

Open the resource finder