ECSE

The Early Childhood Special Education Services (ECSE), is a continuum of services, designed to serve children ages 3 through 5 years (not in kindergarten) who have been identified as disabled and determined to be at-risk of not achieving academic and life skills without intervention.

Referral

Eligibility

Children are eligible if a multi-disciplinary team determines them to meet state criteria as a child with a disability and there is a need for specially designed instruction/supports. The disabilities categories are: autism, deaf-blind, deaf/hard of hearing, developmental delay, emotional disability, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment.

Services

The Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee determines the services to be provided based on the child’s needs. These services may include ECSE classroom based services or Preschool Speech Only services (if the only area of need is speech and/or language). Additional services may include: transportation, assistive technology, counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy and are provided at no cost.

ECSE Classroom Curriculum

Student Evaluation

A variety of assessment techniques are used to evaluate and report student progress, including teacher observation, anecdotal records, student verbal and non-verbal interaction with teachers and other students, skills checklists, and student work samples. Parents receive periodic reports (at least every 9 weeks) of their child’s progress on the Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives. Weekly newsletters, informal communication notebooks, and parent conferences are widely used by teachers and therapists to maintain open lines of communication with parents.