DOE Earmarks $67.5M for Pre-K Special Education Programs

Three of Manhattan’s seven school districts will share in the city’s new $67.5 million boost to special education programs for pre-k children, which is designed to put schools closer to young kids in need.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Education Chancellor Kamar Samuels, made the expansion of special education in pre-K classrooms July 14.

“Children with disabilities should not be forced to travel across the city just to get the education they deserve,” Mamdani said in a press release. “That’s why we’re bringing those classrooms closer to home and taking another critical step toward making Pre-K truly universal. Every child deserves to learn and grow in their community, and every family deserves a public education system that meets them exactly where they are.”

The programs being implemented include nationally recognized pre-existing NYC Department of Education (DOE) programs: Nest, Horizon, AIMS, Path, and ACES.

In Manhattan, the new programs will be rolled out into District 2 which stretches across the West Side below 59th Street and the East Side below 97th Street (but not the East Village and parts of the lower East Side which is in District 1); District 5 which includes a stretch of the Upper West Side and East Harlem; and District 6 which includes Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights and Inwood.

The programs being implemented include nationally recognized education programs: Nest, Horizon, AIMS, Path, and ACES.

The individual schools include at the following, respective locations: PS 42 (the Benjamin Altman School on Hester Street); PS 5 (Ellen Lurie School); and PS 133. Students who required special education will be placed into these new locations.

“Every child deserves the chance to learn and grow in a classroom built around their needs, and that chance should start as early as possible,” Samuels said in a press release. “For the first time, we’re giving young children with autism and other disabilities the same high-quality, specialized instruction that has delivered real results for our older students.”

“This investment is about strengthening the foundation and when we get early childhood education right, we set children up for a lifetime of success,” Samuels added.

Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, said the program’s expansion will help students with disabilities long-term.

“Early childhood education is about delivering every child a strong start in life – the kind of framework that sets children up for high academic performance throughout their lives, long-term career success and strong social emotional skills that they will carry with them forever,” Liss said in a press release. “This investment means more children with disabilities will receive the responsive, attentive and evidence-based education they deserve, from the very beginning of their educational journey.”

According to NYC PS, 22.4% of students in public schools 2024-2025 had disabilities.

Through the expansion, students will receive Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and NYCPS aims to provide families with help to navigate the process. Additionally, NYCPS plans to hire hundreds of new staff members to improve efficiency, wait times, and providing students with more assistance in general education pre-K classrooms through the Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) program.

Jennifer Gutiérrez, chair of the NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education, said the program works to make sure all NYC students have access to the same educational opportunities.

“When children with disabilities have access to the support they need from the very beginning, we build classrooms, communities, and a city where every child has the opportunity to thrive,” Gutiérrez said in a press release. “This expansion recognizes that families deserve a system that meets children where they are and responds early, when interventions can have the greatest impact.”

“Every child should have the opportunity to build confidence, develop meaningful connections, and enter kindergarten ready to succeed,” Gutiérrez added.