Family Transition Planner for New Jersey families

A free, printable, age-by-age checklist for New Jersey families planning a young person's move into adult life. It breaks the years from 14 to 21 into four stops, each with the handful of things worth doing in that window, so nothing important is discovered too late.

The four stops

• Age 14 and up: laying the foundation. Start shaping the picture of adult life, and make sure the IEP names a course of study that builds toward adult-life goals.
• Age 16 and up: trying things on. Real experience, real work, and the first contact with vocational rehabilitation.
• Age 18 and up: stepping into adulthood. Decision-making, benefits, and the legal changes that arrive at eighteen.
• Age 21 and up: building the adult life. What replaces school, and how adult services are funded.

For younger children, start with the next steps guide. For services in your own county, open the New Jersey disability resources portal. This planner is also published for New York and Pennsylvania families.