Early Childhood Participants

Early Childhood Participants Table of Contents

Special Education Students Attending Child Care

Early Childhood Special Education Services

Head Start Program & Head Start Community Based Approach to K4

Early childhood refers to a developmental life stage, spanning from birth to age seven. When correlating this to school, it can refer to students in grades K4 or K5 through third grade. Students who meet PK criteria also fall under early childhood.

Only children ages 3-21 years old can be reported to WISEdata. Enrollment in a school program can begin on the child's third birthday but no sooner, even if an IEP starts slightly before the third birthday.

Children younger than age three cannot be reported to WISEdata; they are managed by the Department of Health Services (DHS).

Early Childhood Special Education Services

Definition: Early Childhood refers to a developmental life stage, encompassing birth to age 8. When applying this age range to school grades, early childhood covers the category codes K4 through 3rd grade, as well as the educational service PK. Students within this age range and falling within this grade range enrolled in school can obtain early childhood services.

WISEdata Reporting Details: Early Childhood Special Education Services are provided by a district for students aged three years, four years, or five years old who are also receiving special education services as part of an Individual Education Program ( IEP). Early childhood special education services are reported under Indicator 6 of the Wisconsin State Performance Plan.

Districts in Wisconsin are free to design and provide services that offer support so that students can attend school programs, when funded with their local district funds. A common example is an Early Childhood Special Education program. Early Childhood Special Education Services may be provided to children ages three, four, or five-years-old who are not yet enrolled in K4 or kindergarten who receive services and supports to meet the needs of the student’s IEP.

These students would be annotated with the code PK in your student information system (SIS) if they meet all of the PK criteria, so that they can be reported to DPI in WISEdata Portal. The code PK is used in WISEdata Portal to refer to students who meet all of the following criteria:

have not reached the age for first grade (aged 3, 4 or 5), and
are not enrolled in K4 or KG, and
have an individual education plan (IEP), and
receive primary educational services from the LEA/Agency.

Programs that support Early Childhood Special Education Services are: four-year-old kindergarten community approach (4KCA), four-year-old kindergarten (K4), kindergarten (KG), Head Start, Child Care, and Private Preschools.

Schedules for these students usually encompass only part of a typical full day of school. For example, there may be a morning class and an afternoon class. Schedules may also be developed as needed to meet the number of hours noted on a student’s Program Summary Page of their IEP, detailing location of services, amount of services, and frequency of services.

Peer role models recruited into an Early Childhood Setting to support students with disabilities should not be reported to WISEdata. These regular education students are not enrolled, while the students with disabilities are considered enrolled.

Membership/Financial Implication:

The school district will first determine the actual program in which the student will participate during the school year. The funding source for that program will determine if the student can be included in the PI-1563 Pupil Count. For example, a student attending a district-operated Head Start program cannot be counted in the PI-1563, as Head Start is a federally funded program. A student in the district’s Early Childhood program can be three years, four years, or five years old. For more information, see the Pupil Count Student Categories page.

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Department of Health Services Birth to Age 3 Program

Definition: Data on children aged birth to three (up to age three, but not including age three) are reported to the Department of Human Services (DHS). These children would have what is called an Individual Family Service Plan. Students who are younger than three years old or younger with an IFS Plan must be reported by the County agencies which service them, as per as per §115.77(1m)(a).

The Birth to 3 Program provides early intervention services to infants and toddlers throughout Wisconsin. Children eligible for the Birth to 3 Program must:

Be between birth and 36 months of age
Be a Wisconsin resident
Have a diagnosed developmental disability or a significant delay of 25% or more for their age, in one or more areas of development:
- Learning, movement, communication, social/emotional, and/or self-help skills.

WISEdata Reporting Details: Children with IEPs are reported to DPI. IEPs can only begin at age three. The earliest date a child can obtain an IEP is their third birthday. No data should be reported to WISEdata until the date of the child’s third birthday.

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Three-Year-Old Children Transitioning to the Department of Public Instruction Supervision

Definition: The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C program promotes the development of infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities, enhances the capacity of families to meet the developmental needs of their infants and toddlers, minimizes the need for special education and related services when children enter school, and enhances children’s long-term outcomes. Part B includes provisions related to formula grants that assist states in providing a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for children with disabilities ages three through 21. This transition of special education services is reported under Indicator 12 of the Wisconsin State Performance Plan: Percent of children referred by Part C prior to age 3, who are found eligible for Part B, and who have an IEP developed and implemented by their third birthdays. For current information regarding this indicator, please review the Annual Performance Reports.

A student who comes to the school district from the County’s Birth to 3 program may be eligible for a Transfer of Service opportunity.

There are transitional plans in place that occur between DHS and DPI, starting at two-years, three months of age up to two-years, nine months of age. This is based on federal guidance for transitioning from county children with disability education board (CCDEB, or ‘B-3’) services to school services. This transitional plan ensures that there’s no gap in services and that timelines are reasonable for completing required state and federal forms. DPI refers to this as the Early Childhood Transition, which is also called Indicator 12 of Wisconsin’s State Performance Plan. For more details, please visit the Early Childhood Transition (Indicator 12) webpage.

The Preschool Transitions application, or Indicator 12, which is accessible through the SPED portal, determines whether school districts are compliant with the timeline established in 34 CFR §300.124(b). An LEA which receives a referral from a Birth to 3 program must conduct an IEP evaluation and implement an IEP plan prior to the child's third birthday, and the IEP must be implemented by the child’s third birthday. These dates are entered in the Indicator 12 application and reviewed by DPI for compliance.

Children with IEPs are reported to DPI. IEPs can only begin at age three. The earliest date a child can obtain an IEP is their third birthday. No data should be reported to WISEdata until the date of the child’s third birthday. If the dates entered in the Indicator 12 application are after the child's third birthday, then the record is reviewed for noncompliance.

WISEdata Reporting Details: Use the date of the child’s third birthday as the IEP Begin Date unless the IEP begins after their birthday. The student Special Education Program Association (sSEPA) record begin date (sSEPA date is separate from IEP begin date) and the school entry date should be on or after the student turns three. Students are not reported to WISEdata until age three.

Once a student is three, if a student is continuously enrolled with the same IEP for both count dates (TFS and Oct. 1 Child Count) with no changes in regular or special education services provided, then a single district will be accountable for both count dates.

The only exception is Parentally-Placed Private students where the public school counts the student only on October 1.

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Students Receiving Special Education Services Who Attend Child Care

Definition: Child at least age three who has an IEP receiving special education services through a public school and attending a child care center. A student who comes to the school district from the County’s Birth to 3 program is eligible for a Transfer of Service opportunity.

WISEdata Reporting Details: These students would be annotated with the code PK in your student information system (SIS) if they meet all of the PK criteria, so that they can be reported to DPI in WISEdata Portal. The code PK is used in WISEdata Portal to refer to students who meet all of the following criteria:

have not reached the age for first grade (aged 3, 4 or 5), and
are not enrolled in K4 or KG, and
have an individual education plan (IEP), and
receive primary educational services from the LEA/Agency.

IEP begin and end date information should be documented in the student's Special Education Program Association (sSEPA) record, including IEP begin and end dates and disability, all of which should be documented in your local student information system (SIS) and pushed to WISEdata.

An IEP can last longer than the sSEPA record it's originally attached to if the sSEPA record ends due to a change in school district, educational environment classification, etc. New sSEPA records can retain the same IEP information if the IEP is still active.

When a new change happens or an IEP is reevaluated, do not alter the current sSEPA record. Instead, create a new sSEPA record to document the new IEP information or other changes. You can refer to the Special Education Data Reporting: Info, Help and Scenarios page for more information and a variety of use case examples.

If a special education student transfers districts, District A must put in an end date for the sSEPA record, so the new enrollment-holding school in District B can start a new sSEPA record for the student. Note, the IEP doesn't need to end if the IEP end date hasn't been reached yet. If a special education student transfers and does not want to participate in sSEPA services at the new enrollment-holding school, District A still needs to add an end date to the sSEPA as well as the IEP if the student is not continuing services in District B.

Membership/Financial Implication:

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Head Start Program

Definition: Head Start is a federal program for low-income families for preschool children (“preschool” is defined as: aged 3, 4, or 5 who are not yet enrolled in KG or K4). Early Head Start is a federally funded program for low-income families for children aged birth-three.

Having a student participating in a Head Start program does not automatically require LEAs to report these students to WISEdata. District-operated Head Start programs can offer services to all children whose families are income eligible.

WISEdata Reporting Details: LEAs should report students who meet the criteria for use of the code PK if these students also happen to be attending a Head Start program. The code PK is used in WISEdata Portal to refer to students who meet all of the following criteria:

have not reached the age for first grade (aged 3, 4 or 5), and
are not enrolled in K4 or KG, and
have an individual education plan (IEP), and
receive primary educational services from the LEA/Agency.

However, districts can apply to the federal government (via the Administration of Children and Families) to become a Head Start Program. In these scenarios, those federal funds are awarded as grant money that goes through the school district and becomes part of the larger "district" scope of funding.

Membership/Financial Implication:

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Students in Community-Based K4 Sites (4KCA)

Definition: School districts may also contract with federally funded Head Start programs to provide four-year-old kindergarten services through a community approach program. Students receive four-year-old kindergarten education through a private school or other community site instead of in an elementary school building. 4KCA relies on a comprehensive public-private partnership effort, sometimes called a “school-community interface.”

WISEdata Reporting Details: Many child care centers offer 4KCA with classes taking place in preschools and child care centers instead of solely in traditional school buildings. These children are still considered part of the LEA, though they have options when deciding how to register with DPI.

These students:

are assigned WISEids
are enrolled in the grade K4, regardless of IEP status

Each child care can be set up separately with its own school code because each school is responsible for reporting their students’ enrollments. However, in many instances, districts will group their 4KCA child care centers together and report student enrollment under one common school code for ease of reporting purposes.

Even if there’s no meal served for gauging Free & Reduced Lunch status, you must still collect economic disadvantage data. You can use the Alternate Household Income form, which are available below as Word documents pr PDFs in multiple languages:

Alternate Household Income form (doc) - English Alternate Household Income form (doc) - Hmong Alternate Household Income form (doc) - Spanish Alternate Household Income form - No CEP

Alternate Household Income form (pdf) - English Alternate Household Income form (pdf) - Hmong Alternate Household Income form (pdf) - Spanish Alternate Household Income form - No CEP

Membership/Financial Implication:

PK and K4 Students

Pre-Kindergarten (PK) is a Code, Signifying Students Who Receive Services From an LEA

Definition: Students who are annotated with the code PK have not reached the age for first grade (aged 3, 4, or 5), and are not enrolled in K4 or KG, and have an IEP, and receive primary educational services from the LEA / Agency.

(Return to Early Childhood Special Education Services section)

(Return to Special Education Students Attending Child Care section)

WISEdata Reporting Details: Pre-kindergarten level programs include early childhood special education, Title I preschool, district-operated at-risk programs, and Head Start. It is quite common for a student to participate in more than one of these programs at the same time, for example: attending one program in the morning and a second program in the afternoon.

If a student is simultaneously enrolled in a K4 or KG program, that grade level code is used because it is a grade enrollment. Also note, if a student attends K4 or KG for half the day but PK the other half, then the student should be reported in K4 or KG, and the PK code would not be used at all.

Incorrect reporting of these programs by schools leads to validation errors about particular grade level codes. Verify with your SIS and the School Directory application to see what values are acceptable for your school.

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K4 is a Grade

Grades are defined by state statute §115.01(2). Grades in Wisconsin begin in kindergarten. As per §115.01(2), Kindergarten in Wisconsin may include four-year-old kindergarten (K4) and five-year-old kindergarten (KG). Students in K4 must be four years old on or before September 1 in the year that the student proposes to enter school. (See Section 118.14, Wis. Stats.)

K4 Students in Private School Settings

K4 students who are located in a private school/private child care center under a contract with the Local Education Agency (school district) should be reported by the public district.

WISEdata Reporting Details: Public School Reporting K4 Students in Private School Settings: A student can be counted by the public school for both count dates (TFS and Oct. 1 Child Count) if a student is continuously enrolled, with the same IEP, with no changes in regular or special education services provided.

The only exception is when the student has a Parentally-Placed Private (PPP) enrollment code for the public school; then the public school counts the student only on October 1.

K4 students who are located in a private school/private child care center under a contract with an LEA should NOT be counted by the private school in any reporting to DPI.

NOTE: If a Choice school has opted into the Private School - All Student Report Card and consequently reports data for all their students through their SIS, then the Choice school needs to ensure they are excluding any K4 public students from their reporting to WISEdata.

For information about students receiving K4 services through a Head Start community based approach, please read that section of this webpage.

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Related Services to Access Education: Speech & Language Students

Definition of Related Services: Related services are defined by Section 300.34 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In a nutshell, it means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.

WISEdata Reporting Details: Public School Reporting K4 Students in Private School Settings: Many specific related services are spelled out in the section, but of all these mentioned, in Wisconsin, only Speech and Language counts both as a related service and specially designed instruction.

In order to be identified as a student with a disability, the student must meet eligibility criteria and require specially designed instruction. If a student only requires a related service, then this is insufficient to qualify under IDEA as a student with a disability. For that reason, only Speech and Language is reported to WISEdata.

Counting Students Receiving Related Services on Count Dates:

October 1 Child Count:

This student can be included if all of the following are true for the student’s special education program association (sSEPA) record and Enrollment record:

The student has an active IEP.
The student is IDEA eligible.
The student is attending a public school as indicated on the sSEPA.
The student is receiving Speech and Language services from the LEA.
The student’s primary educational services are provided by the LEA,
Even if the student has an IEP and is expelled.
The student’s age on the count date is:
equal to or over three – AND -
equal to or less than 21.
The student has an active enrollment on the count date.
The student is marked as either Present or Absent Receiving Services on the Oct 1 count date.
Assigned to a valid grade level for their age
DPI Calculation of PPP is No or Null

Third Friday of September Count:

This student can be included if all of the following are true for the student’s Enrollment record:

The student’s primary educational services are provided by the LEA,
Even if the student has an IEP and is expelled.
The student has an active enrollment on the count date.
The student’s age on the count date is:
equal to or over three – AND -
equal to or less than 21.
Assigned to a valid grade level for their age.
DPI Calculation of PPP is No or Null

Types of Related Services: Speech and Language

Definition: A student who has an impairment of speech or sound production, voice, fluency, or language that significantly affects educational performance or social, emotional, or vocational development and under an IEP or ISP receives speech and language services but does not attend the school full time, usually part of an Early Childhood program

Reporting disability of Speech or Language Impairment, (SL), means an impairment of speech or sound production, voice, fluency, or language that significantly affects educational performance or social, emotional, or vocational development. [Wis. Admin. Code PI 11.36(5)].

SL Data Element Information: These students should still have WISEids, and schools should create an enrollment for students receiving only speech and language services.
SL Course Code: Choose the course code that best matches the course content. We encourage review of these new courses such that these student groups may be reported to the WISEdata Roster collection. It is still important to review the course description to make sure it's an appropriate match for the content of your course. 22252 Communication Instruction
Helpful Details/Use Cases: Children who are learning English as a second language are not considered to have a disability and are not eligible for special education classes unless they are identified as having a speech disability.
Parentally-placed private (PPP) students should be marked as such to avoid overlapping enrollments between a public school offering speech and language class and the private school the student attends. When applicable, the private school claims the student for Third Friday of September (TFS), while the public school receives October 1 credit.

Membership/Financial Implication for SL Students:

If the student with an IEP is only receiving Speech and Language service from the school district, this student can be included in count dates.