8/2/13

Developing a Master Plan For Your Child's Future

Why A Master Plan?

In Chapter 2, we focused on the MASTER PLAN. If you want your child to grow up to be an independent adult, think about what he/she needs to learn before leaving the public school system,

Typical *Transition Plans through the school district often happen too late (age 14-16). Start building towards that plan now! Modify the plan as the child grows and matures.

Whether a child has special needs or not -- this is one of the most important things a parent can do for their child.

You can do this whether or not you are participating in the FETA cohort study group. We will provide some tools below. 

What is a master plan?


MASTER PLAN is like a strategic plan and generally contains the same types of elements. Many of us follow strategic plans everyday where we work, and we know that we have to in order to be successful in our jobs. Most of us fail to plan in our personal lives. Having a plan with strategies and goals can help our families get to where we want to be in life. Imagine also weaving in long term life plans for your child into your family's master plan. This is different than the status quo, simply going from year to year, thinking about short term annual IEP goals and hoping for the best. 

Wrightslaw refers to the five main components of the master plan:

  1. VISION STATEMENT
  2. MISSION STATEMENT
  3. GOALS
  4. STRATEGIES
  5. TIMELINES
How to fill in your plan: