ESY - Extended School Year

Parents/Guardians should use the online ESY Registration Form.  Registration for ESY is open from March 3, 2025 - April 25th. Registration only takes a few minutes.  If you do not have access to the internet, registration can be completed online at your child’s school.  

Please be prepared with the following to register:  

• Your child's login information (ID number/email address) and password are needed to register.  

• names, addresses, and phone numbers for emergency contacts 

• transportation pick up/drop off locations.  

Parents/Guardians must register no later than April 25th in order to participate in the full ESY program. Registrations completed after April 25th may not be able to start ESY until the second half, starting July 7th. 

Click on the  online ESY Registration Form to register for ESY.  

Click Link to view ESY Supply List

ESY Takes place from June 11 through July 17. Classes are held Monday-Thursday, there are no classes on Fridays. 

There will be no school on June 19th or July 3rd due to holidays. 

Preschool ESY: 

Bonnie McBeth Learning Center - 15730 Howard Street, Plainfield

8:00-10:30

Site Supervisor:  Amber Briddick

(815) 577-7551 

K-4th Grade ESY:

Riverview Elementary

8:30-11:45

Site Supervisor:  Roxanne Ross

(815) 577-4304 

5th Grade -12th Grade and PSTEP:

Timber Ridge Middle School

7:45-11:00

Site Supervisor: Jason Stanley

(815) 577- 4192 

What is ESY?

• Extended School Year, or ESY is a provision for a student with special needs to receive instruction over summer break.

What is the purpose of ESY?

• The purpose is to prevent serious regression of previously learned skills that cannot be regained in a reasonable length of time with the intent being to maintain IEP goals and objectives, not to introduce new skills.

Which students are eligible for ESY?

• A student must have an IEP. Just because a student has an IEP, does not mean that he/she automatically qualifies for ESY.  The IEP team determines eligibility for ESY services.  The team must consider regression, recoupment and the severity of the disability. When considering regression and recoupment, the IEP team must have data to demonstrate that a student’s skills would significantly regress more than same age peers or that it would take significantly longer for the student to recoup the lost skills when compared to same age peers. The team should also consider the severity of the disability when deciding if a student is eligible for ESY.

What is regression/recoupment?

• The amount of loss of skills a child experiences over an instructional break (primarily summer vacation) and the amount of time it takes him/her to recover the lost skills.

Is transportation provided for students in ESY?

• ESY Transportation services are provided for students who require this service per their IEP. 

If my child is registered for ESY, when will I get additional information such as, building assignment, teacher, needed supplies, etc.?

• General information about ESY can be found on the district website. 

• You will receive a “Welcome to ESY Letter” via email approximately 1-2 weeks prior to the start of ESY. This letter will confirm your child’s building and assigned room number for ESY.

• If your child is recommended for special transportation, bus drivers will contact parents within 48 hours prior to the first day of ESY to give parents a bus number and tentative pick up and drop off times.

Will my child have the same teacher for ESY they had during the school year? 

• Some teachers work during ESY and some choose to have their summers off.  If your child’s teacher is working ESY, we cannot guarantee that your child will be placed in his/her classroom. 

Can students receive related services available during ESY?

• Eligibility for related services during ESY must be considered separately by each related services provider using the guidelines identified above. Students do not automatically receive related services for ESY solely because they receive related services during the school year and/or because they are recommended for classroom services for ESY.

Can resource students be recommended for ESY? Can ESY be recommended at an initial IEP?

• Yes, in circumstances when they meet the eligibility criteria identified above. 

What social/language services are available during ESY?

• 45 minutes per week of social/language support during ESY in the form of a weekly social/language group that will be co-facilitated by a speech-language pathologist and a social worker to those students that require this support to maintain their skills over the summer break.

• Eligibility criteria identified above must be used.

What is the Structured Recreation class and who is eligible to attend?

• The Structured Recreation class meets 2 days/week and is co-taught by a PE teacher and a social worker. The program provides opportunities to practice and maintain team building and cooperative learning skills.  Emphasis is placed on the application of social skills in the areas of turn-taking, self-expression, anger management and/or problem resolution within the context of interactive PE/leisure activities.

• Students in grades K-8 are eligible to attend per the IEP team’s recommendation. 

Can we decline ESY services?

• Yes, families can decline services.  The educational team and school district want parents to be aware that if they decline the recommended ESY services, the child may experience regression over the summer and therefore may take extended time to recoup those skills once the school year starts.  The IEP team recommended that your child attend ESY in order to maintain his/her current skills and to prevent regression. 

If our family plans a vacation during ESY, can my child still attend? 

• Yes.  We understand that families have limited time to take vacations over the summer.  We encourage families to try to schedule travel in the weeks prior of after ESY.  Students can attend ESY and miss school due to vacation, however this may impact the student’s maintenance of skills.