Early Intervention Index

If a student meets certain eligibility requirements, her family may request that she receive free tutoring from a state-approved SES Provider.

SES Providers are private educational contractors. They provide extra instruction in addition to what the child is already receiving at school. This means that SES ìclassesî take place either before or after the regular school day; during the summer; or, sometimes, over the internet (every SES Provider is different). Parents have an opportunity to choose, from a long list of SES providers, a service that meets the family's needs.

At the start of each semester, school districts are required to notify eligible families that their children have qualified for SES. The district must also provide a brochure about available SES Providers and, usually, will host a Provider ìfairî that families can attend for additional information. Even if your district did not contact you, your child might still qualify for SES. Click here for eligibility requirements.

After the family has reviewed SES options, they submit a form to the child's school, indicating their Provider preference. If the child is selected for SES, the Provider will contact the family to confirm the details of the child's first class.

If demand for SES services exceeds Provider availability, then some eligible applicants may not receive SES.

• Attend a qualifying school. (Click here for a list of New York City public schools that qualify for SES).
• Receive, or be eligible to receive, free lunch.
• • A child is eligible for free lunch if:
    • The child's household receives benefits such as WIC, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Aid to Dependant Children (ADC), Food Stamps, or other public assistance.
    • OR The child's household income is at or below USDA guideline maximum:

Consider supplementing your child's education

Separate SES sessions are offered for Fall Term and Spring Term. Parents interested in SES may find the following checklist helpful:

Click here for a list of SES providers

Overview. The Public School Choice program is designed to let students from low-performing schools take advantage of the instruction available at other, higher-performing schools.

Application and student-selection process. Parents of eligible students should receive a letter explaining the application process in spring of each year and giving application deadlines. Parents of eligible students fill out a Transfer Application Form, selecting preferred transfer-destination school(s) from a pre-approved list. After all forms are submitted, the Department of Education will attempt to honor the family’s preferences as it processes the application and searches for an available transfer slot. Usually, demand exceeds availability at the most-requested schools; in deciding which applicants will receive transfer offers, the Department of Education prioritizes the requests of the lowest-achieving, low-income students.

If a transfer offer is received. A student who receives a transfer offer is not required to accept; however, there will not be another opportunity to apply until the following year.

To apply for a Public School Choice transfer, a student must attend a qualifying school. Click here for a list of New York City public schools whose students qualify for Public School Choice.

• Note: if your child qualifies for SES (see above), then your child also qualifies for Public School Choice.
• Unlike SES, the Public School Choice program has no income-eligibility requirement. However, if space is limited, transfer requests by the neediest students are likeliest to be honored.

The NYC Department of Education 2006-2007 NCLB School Choice Program web site contains a variety of useful information, including:

• Parent FAQ
• samples of forms (including Parent Information Package and Transfer Application Form)
• Copies of recent parent notification letters
• Timeline of important dates.