Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
FAPE, or Free Appropriate Public Education, is another special education abbreviation that is important for parents to understand.
Your child, the same as every child in the United States, is entitled to a free appropriate public education.
What does FAPE mean?
FREE
You are not responsible for paying for the cost of educating your child. For example, if the school suggests that your child needs a reading tutor in order to access the general education curriculum, then they most provide that tutor.
APPROPRIATE
This is the key word that provides weight to FAPE. What is appropriate for one child, is not necessarily appropriate for another. An educational program that is appropriate will plan and customize all that is needed for the student to meet short and long term goals that reflect high expectations within their specialized program.
PUBLIC
Refers to any space that is open to the public, is serving the public and that is funded by the public … guarantees equal access. Your child is entitled to access all that the school has to offer every other student in the school.
EDUCATION
To educate a child at its best means to provide them with knowledge, character and behaviors that will influence their development, and prepare them for life beyond their schooling years. For children with special needs this preparation period is of critical import, it includes much more than just academics. Each exceptional student is guaranteed support in all areas that impact access to academics. Related services such as language, speech, occupational therapy, physically therapy, and anything else required to assist the student in benefiting from special education are an important part of what it means to educate a student with special needs.”
TESTIMONIALS
Krista is amazing!
She helped me when I was struggling with understanding the process of getting my daughters IEP and understanding what her psychosocial evaluation was saying. She as well attending the IEP meeting with us and assisted me in making the right choice for my daughter. Krista allowed me to see all options that I had and that in the end with the supports that my daughter needed she would do great. I appreciate all her support and effort that she put into out family.
