Pre-School Special Education

New York State’s Pre-School Special Education program provides essential services like speech and occupational therapy to children between the ages of 3 and 5 years of age who have special needs. The challenge of the program in New York is that it is misaligned between the payer and the provider of services. Counties have no real role in the preschool special education program, yet counties pay 40.5% of the costs.

Click to view the
NYSAC Special Report:
Roadmap to Mandate Relief: Improving Pre-school Special Education in NYS
(November 2012)

For decades, county officials have advocated for reforms to New York's preschool special education program that would foster greater efficiency, oversight and accountability. NYSAC believes that fundamental reforms are needed now to continue providing these important services in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

Pre-School Special Education Resources and Reports

The Numbers: Statistics on Approved Services (by county)

Fact Sheet: Bringing Greater Accountability to the Preschool Special Education Program

• Expanded Fact Sheet: Early Intervention/Preschool Special Education

   

State Comptroller's Press Releases on Pre-School Special Ed Audits

• DiNapoli: Audit Finds Another Special Education Provider Bilked Taxpayers (Press Release, November 20, 2012)

• DiNapoli: Special Education Contractor Bilked Taxpayers Out of $2.6 Million Overcharges Include Pay For Executive’s Relatives (Press Release, August 1, 2012)
• DiNapoli: Queens Special Education Contractor Overcharged State $1.5 Million (Press Release, July 19, 2012)
• DiNapoli: Special Education Contractors Misusing Taxpayer Dollars, Multiple Felony Arrests Stemming from Audits (Press Release, June 25, 2012)

Articles: New York's Pre-School Special Education System in the News

• NYSAC calls for stronger voice when funding pre-K special ed. (The Legislative Gazette, November 26, 2012)
• State Seeks to Set Up Unit to Oversee Pre-K Contractors (New York Times, September 7, 2012)
• NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario's op-ed on the issue (June 26, 2012)
• Companies Shortchanged Preschool Special Education Program, State Audits Find (New York Times, June 26, 2012)
• Oversight for Preschool Special Education (New York Times, July 16, 2012)
• Cost of Prekindergarten Special Education Is Soaring (New York Times, June 5, 2012)

Additional Resources

• Summary of the State Comptroller’s Preschool Special Education Audits
• Fact Sheet: Preschool Special Education
• White Paper: Preschool Special Education - A Summary and Call for Reform
• White Paper: Putting Kids First- Reforming the Early Intervention Program
• NYSAC Resolution (Winter 2012)
• NYSAC Resolutions (Fall 2012):
  • RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR AND STATE LEGISLATURE TO IMPROVE THE PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM BY ALLOWING SPECIAL EDUCATION ITINERANT TEACHER (SEIT) SERVICES TO BE PAID ON A FEE FOR SERVICE BASIS
  • RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR AND STATE LEGISLATURE TO ENACT MEANINGFUL REFORMS IN THE PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE NET COST SAVINGS
  • RESOLUTION CALLING ON THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO INCLUDE COUNTIES IN DEVELOPING A PLAN TO TRANSITION THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO A STATEWIDE FISCAL AGENT