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Early Childhood Special Education

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child stacking lego blocks
Early Childhood Special Education is a state and federally mandated program for children aged 3–5 who meet state eligibility criteria because they are experiencing developmental delays. School districts and other public agencies are responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating eligible children and for offering a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Eligible children are entitled to a FAPE at no cost to the family with programming designed to help children meet challenging objectives alongside their typically developing peers. When a delay is suspected, or children are not meeting milestones, local school districts offer Child Find services, providing screening, and if needed, evaluation services to determine eligibility. ARS §15.771 is the section of the state regulations that defines preschool programs for children with disabilities. 

 

The Early Childhood Special Education unit offers technical assistance and professional development to early childhood administrators and practitioners across the state to support these efforts. Please access contact list below to connect with your Specialist. 

Visit our Early Childhood Special Education Events page for upcoming events and professional development opportunities. 

General Resources for:

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  • Parents

  • Educators

  • Administrators

 

Best Practices:

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  • Child Find

  • Kindergarten Transition

  • ECSE Unit Professional Development 

 

Preschool Indicators:

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  • Preschool Environments—Indicator 6

  • Child Outcomes—Indicator 7

  • Preschool Transition—Indicator 12

 

 

 

Contact us if you have questions or needs regarding special education programs and services for preschool-aged children, use the following list to find your Early Childhood Program Specialist, or contact your Specialist from the list below. 

Early Childhood Special Education Staff

Name

Position

Phone

Email

Office Hours

Erika Argueta

Program Specialist

602-542-3160

[email protected]

Wed. 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Elizabeth Hamilton

Program Specialist

602-364-1948

[email protected]

Mon. & Wed. 3:00–4:00 p.m.

Tami Philips

Program Specialist

602-542-3183

[email protected]

Wed. 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Lenka Studnicka

Program Specialist

602-542-1137

[email protected]

Tues. & Thurs. 3:00–4:00 p.m.

Suzanne Perry

Director

AZ 619 Coordinator

602-542-1113[email protected]Contact for General Preschool Programming Questions
Camille VerdugoProject Specialist602-542-8747

[email protected]

[email protected]

Contact for Preschool Transition

CtoBInbox Questions

 

 

Page revised 4/4/22

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Contact

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From the Exceptional Student Services Blog

EXTERNAL PD INFO: Professional Learning for Paraeducators, Teachers, and Administrators Thu, Jun 9 2022 Professional Learning and Sustainability, Updates

Special Education Administrators,

Starting in August 2022, the National Resource Center for Paraeducators (NRCP) and the Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE) have organized a year of monthly, low-cost, professional development webinars for paraeducators, teachers, administrators, etc.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Special Education Data Updates Webinar Registration for Wednesday June 15th Mon, Jun 6 2022 Data Management, Updates

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Special Education Data Updates Webinar Wednesday, June 15th   

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will be hosting the next Special Education Data Updates live webinar on Wednesday, June 15th from 2pm – 3pm.

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