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Early Childhood Special Education

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Small Child on Horse
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is a state and federally mandated program for children (ages 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 offering a free & appropriate public education (FAPE). Eligible children are entitled to a FAPE at no cost to the family. If a child is eligible, the public school district of the child must offer services to meet their identified needs to access the general education curriculum.

When a delay is suspected, or children are not meeting milestones, local school districts offer Child Find services to observe and evaluate children's play, communication, behavior, learning and movement skills. Please visit the Child Find resource page for further information about this service or call your local school district to request a screening. Currently there are over 10,300 children receiving special education services (2020 data). To support programs offering preschool special education services, the Early Childhood Special Education unit provides technical assistance and professional development to practitioners across the state.

The Early Childhood Special Education unit, as part of Exceptional Student Services, supports its mission  to ensure that public education agencies in Arizona have special education programs, policies, and procedures that comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations, and that eligible children and youth with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The unit provides professional learning opportunities and provides technical assistance to schools with best practices in early childhood education through its Program Specialists. Contact us if you have questions or needs regarding special education programs and services for preschool aged children, or call your Early Childhood Program Specialist from the list below.

Currently offerered are tailored resources to support preschool administrators, early childhood educators, both teachers and related service providers, and families, to support understanding of special education and all it has to offer. Resources are being developed for major early childhood topics such as Child Outcomes, Preschool Environments, and Preschool Transitions.

Early Childhood Events

Administrator Resources Educator Resources Parent Resources

Early Childhood Special Education Staff:

Name

Position

Phone

Email Address

Office Hours/Link

Suzanne Perry

Director, 619 Coordinator

602-542-1113

[email protected]

Wed. 3:30 – 4:30 PM   

Erika Argueta

Program Specialist

602-542-3160

[email protected]

Wed. 1:00 – 2:00 PM  

Elizabeth Hamilton

Program Specialist

602-364-1948

[email protected]

Mon. & Wed. 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Tami Philips

Program Specialist

602-542-3183

[email protected]

Wed. 2:00-4:00 PM

Lenka Studnicka

Program Specialist

602-542-1137

[email protected]

Wed. 10:00 – 12:00 PM

Lisa Wallman

Program Specialist 

602-542-5270

[email protected]

Tues. & Thurs. 3:00-4:00PM

 

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Contact

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  • (602) 542-4013
  • [email protected]

From the Exceptional Student Services Blog

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: FY22 Update: Integrity Rules Upgrading from Warning to Failure Wed, Apr 7 2021 Data Management, Updates

Effective Fiscal Year 2022, two Integrity Rules will be upgrading from a warning to a failure.

Please be aware you can identify students receiving these warnings in FY21 to prepare for your reporting in FY22.  Please check your INTEG15 report in the AzEDS Portal to determine if your entity is failing any Integrity Rules. The INTEG15 report can filter by warnings only.

PD INFO: Students with Chronic Health Conditions: A Proactive Approach to Transition Webinar on April 28 Tue, Apr 6 2021 Professional Learning and Sustainability, Updates

The ADE School Safety and Social Wellness and ADE/ESS Secondary Transition teams, in partnership with the Mayo Clinic, are excited to announce a virtual professional learning opportunity on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 2:30–3:30 p.m. for school nurses, school social workers, school psychologists, and school counselors. Although the focus will be specific to students in grades 6–12, please share with any other stakeholder who is interested in this topic. 

Students with Chronic Health Conditions: A Proactive Approach to Transition 

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