Q&A
Challenges in providing services to preschoolers with disabilities
0:56:26
ยท
148 sec
Council Member Schulman asks about the main challenges in meeting the needs of preschoolers with disabilities. Jessica Wallenstein from the DOE provides a comprehensive response, outlining various issues from evaluation to service provision.
- Highlights challenges in the evaluation process, including long wait times and limited oversight of contracted evaluators
- Discusses staffing issues, including high caseloads for CPSE administrators
- Explains difficulties in providing services due to shortages in seats, related services, and special education itinerant teachers
- Notes the complexities of the funding structure and reliance on contracted providers
Lynn C. Schulman
0:56:26
Can you describe the biggest challenges you face as you work to meet the needs of preschoolers with disabilities, including providing them with evaluations, IEP, meetings, services, and classes?
Jessica Wallenstein
0:56:43
So our preschool students with disabilities face a number of different challenges.
0:56:48
Despite recent investments, and I do wanna recognize the 16 16000000 baseline in the budget this year for our CPSC administrators and our related service preschool itinerant team, which were previously funded by stimulus, as well as the $55,000,000 investment for additional preschool classes.
0:57:05
We still have a lot of work to do.
0:57:08
I would say that the challenges begin when preschool students first, their families first make those referrals and then they have to get evaluations.
0:57:15
And due to state law, families have the right to choose their evaluator.
0:57:19
But we know that for many families this actually feels like a burden.
0:57:23
And as much as we do our best to do outreach to these families and support them, we know many are waiting a long time for evaluations.
0:57:31
About 90% of our evaluations are conducted by contracted evaluators over which DOE has very limited oversight and control.
0:57:43
Tuition redesign that is currently being worked on by state ed now, so their reimbursement rates are not necessarily slated to increase.
0:57:51
So while we need a lot more evaluators, we have limited control in in getting them there.
0:57:56
We do have small teams of in house evaluators who do phenomenal work, but, again, that they're just serving under 10% of the preschoolers.
0:58:04
After student
Lynn C. Schulman
0:58:05
Go ahead.
0:58:05
I'm sorry.
0:58:05
Finish.
Jessica Wallenstein
0:58:06
After students are evaluated, they then go on to the stage of having their IEP meeting.
0:58:10
Our CPSC administrators conduct those IEP meetings, but their caseloads are about 350 students.
0:58:16
So you can imagine that they're not able to give each family the close, contact and support that they deserve.
0:58:23
Once those IEPs are written and students are entitled to services, we face shortages both in terms of seats, as well as related services and special education itinerant teachers.
0:58:32
Our funding structure is such that we are heavily reliant on a contract industry, and contracted providers are not so incentivized to work across our early childhood program where they there may be 1 or 2 students, for example, in a CBO, with an IEP getting a provider to get a full caseload in that structure is hard.
0:58:52
So we really do face challenges every step of the way.