The July Letter: introduce your child before the IEP does
One short email, sent before the room is decorated, can change how the whole year begins for a child with a documented plan. Here is what to send, why it lands, and the words to copy.
There is a small move that changes how a school year starts for a child with a documented plan, and almost no one teaches families to do it. You write to the new teacher in July. Not on the first day of school. Not at the open house. In July, before the room is decorated, before the rosters feel final, before the year has begun to define itself.
It takes about ten minutes. Here is what to send and why it matters.
It introduces your child as a person first
The letter lets the teacher meet your child as a whole person before the plan introduces your child as a list of support needs. It signals that this family is engaged and easy to reach. And it hands the teacher one good thing to know before they ever meet your kid in August.
Your child belongs in that classroom by right, not by permission. This letter is not asking for a favor. It opens a door to a partnership that already belongs to your family, and it makes that partnership easy to say yes to.
Five short pieces
- A warm hello and your name. Keep it human and brief.
- Two sentences about who your child is outside of school. What they love, what makes them laugh, what they are proud of.
- The one thing you wish every teacher knew about your child. Just one. The thing that helps a good day happen.
- A short note that there is an IEP or 504, and that you are glad to share specifics whenever it is useful.
- An invitation to stay in touch, and the best way to reach you.
The teacher who hears from you in July reads your child’s plan with a different set of eyes.
Latina Nickelson, SOAR Educational ServicesThe letter template
Swap in your details wherever you see colored text. Keep it short. Warmth does more work here than length.
Hello [Teacher Name],
I’m [your name], and my child [child’s name] will be in your [grade/class] this fall. I wanted to introduce myself before the year begins.
Outside of school, [child’s name] is [two sentences about who they are: what they love, what they are funny about, what they are working on]. The one thing I would want you to know before day one is [the one thing].
[Child’s name] has an [IEP / 504], and I am glad to share specifics anytime. I have also put together a short About My Child page that I would love to send whenever the timing feels right.
Thank you for the work you do. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch. The best way to reach me is [email or phone]. I’ll reach out again closer to the start of school, and if a question comes up before then, I’m here.
Looking forward to meeting you,
[your name]
An example letter
Here is the same template with the blanks filled, so you can see how light and warm it can stay.
Hello Ms. Rivera,
I’m Danielle, and my son Marcus will be in your third grade class this fall. I wanted to introduce myself before the year begins.
Outside of school, Marcus is the kid who knows every fact about sharks and will happily teach you all of them. He is working on feeling settled in new spaces, and he warms up fastest when he knows what is coming next. The one thing I would want you to know before day one is that a quick heads-up before a change in routine helps him show you his best.
Marcus has an IEP, and I am glad to share specifics anytime. I have also put together a short About My Child page that I would love to send whenever the timing feels right.
Thank you for the work you do. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch. The best way to reach me is danielle.m@email.com or a text at 555-0102. I’ll reach out again closer to the start of school, and if anything comes up before then, I’m here.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Danielle
Your one-page “About My Child”
The letter mentions an About My Child page. This is it. Fill it out once and send it whenever the teacher is ready. It gives the team a strengths-first snapshot that lives alongside the plan, in your voice instead of a form’s.
About My Child
When to send it
Mid to late July works best. Most teachers are checking their school email by then, even when they are not formally on the clock. If you don’t have the new teacher’s name yet, ask the school office. They almost always know, and they are usually glad to help.
If you don’t hear back
That’s fine. Most teachers will not answer from a beach in July, and the quiet does not mean the letter missed. Send it anyway. The first day will land differently because of it, whether or not a reply ever comes.
You’re removing a barrier, not asking a favor
The letter builds a relationship before either side has any reason to be guarded. By the time the teacher reads the plan, your child is already a person to them, not a paperwork problem to manage. That is barrier removal in one short email.
You are not asking the teacher to make room for your child. You are making it easy to see the child who already belongs in that room.
Take the whole guide with you
The letter template, the filled-in example, and the About My Child page, in one printable PDF you can keep and share with any family who could use it.
Download the free guide →When you want a partner in the room
A July letter opens the door. If you’d like a thought partner for the meeting on the other side of it, a SOAR discovery call is a low-pressure place to start. We’ll help you understand your options and figure out the next right step together.
Start with a $5 discovery call →