As Mayor Eric Adams vows to better serve preschoolers in special education, many young children are not getting the services they are entitled to under the law.
According to the city’s education department, 10,580 preschoolers who were supposed to get speech, physical or occupational therapy were not yet getting it as of April 2023. Another 1,970 preschool students who were supposed to have an instructor provide part-time specialized instruction, also known as a special education itinerant teacher, were not getting that service either.
The education department said some of those services may have been provided since April, but acknowledged the city has struggled to provide the youngest students with the special education services they need and should be guaranteed under the law.
“We agree with the concerns of our parents and advocates that for far too long students with disabilities were excluded from programming and services,” said department spokesperson Nicole Brownstein. “This Administration is committed to righting this wrong. We are working to ensure that all students receive the services, supports, and resources that they need to succeed – from opening more special education seats in early childhood programs to hiring more staff across the system, we are prioritizing our students with disabilities.”
The education department released the data following a new analysis from Advocates for Children of New York that found similar problems in the 2021-2 school year. That year, the analysis found, 9,800 preschoolers did not receive legally required services. The advocacy group found many families also faced delays waiting for their kids to be evaluated for what supports they need.
Specifically, the analysis found that more than 6,500 preschoolers who needed speech therapy did not receive a single session. More than 5,300 children never received occupational therapy, the nonprofit said, and nearly 2,000 preschool students never had a session of physical therapy.
No school district managed to fully serve 85% of preschoolers with disabilities in 3-K and Pre-K, according to the review.
Randi Levine, policy director at Advocates for Children from New York, said the analysis was based on the most recent publicly available data. But she said there were indications that the delays had gotten even worse.
“We’ve been hearing from parents that it’s even harder to get services this year,” she said. Levine said education department officials have also reported difficulty finding providers.
Education department spokesperson Brownstein emphasized that the mayor and Schools Chancellor David Banks have made improving special education a top priority.
Over the winter, the administration announced plans to increase the number of seats available for preschoolers in special education classrooms, and has added approximately 700, Brownstein said. She said the administration has also increased the pay for some special education preschool teachers, and hired dozens of additional physical, occupational, and speech therapists.
Meanwhile, the administration’s signature pedagogical initiative, the overhaul of literacy instruction, aims to help all students learn to read, but especially those with language-based learning disabilities. The city has also added programs for students with autism and sensory needs.
Officials said more young students have also been referred for special education classes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the difficulties providing special education services to New York City kids comes as school districts across the country report shortages of special education teachers.
At the preschool level, Levine said the city relies on contracts with outside agencies to provide many of these services. She said the city should look to provide more of the services through in-house providers, through better pay and more aggressive recruitment.
Advocates for Children recommends the mayor increase funds for preschool special education by $50 million as part of the current budget cycle.
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