Nearly 2K NYC Kids With Special Needs May Have To Sit Out Pre-K

NEW YORK CITY — Nearly 2,000 kids might not be able to find a kindergarten to meet their needs this spring, amid a shortage of space in special education pre-K classrooms, according to a new study released Thursday.

The shortage of special education seats could affect the development of between 1,000 and 2,000 children who need help learning to walk and talk with differently-abled bodies, the Advocates For Children of New York analysis found.

"Unless government leaders take immediate action, hundreds of children with autism and other disabilities will miss out," said AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet.

"And we will squander this opportunity to provide support at the point in a child’s development when it is likely to be most effective.”

The cause of the shortage — estimated between 1,030 and 1,930 seats for three- and four-year-olds — is New York State's underinvestment in over-burdened community-led centers, the report argues.

New York's reimbursement rates for preschool special classes falls below the amount recommended by the state's Department of Education, Assembly and state Senate and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget proposal did not include any new initiatives to help address the shortage, the advocates said.

More than 60 preschool programs have closes statewide and in New York City, only 10 of the city's 32 school districts are not suffering shortages, the analysis found.

The Bronx is predicted to see the largest shortage with almost 800 extra seats needed, and that number does not include bilingual programs, AFC found.

Among New Yorkers left stranded without a preschool placement was parent Janira Batista, waited eight months to find a seat for her son Aiden, she told the advocates.

"By the time Aiden got a seat, the teachers and therapists had to do double the work just to get him back up to speed,” Batista said.

Aiden is interacting more with other kids and speaking in full sentences, said Batista, but added, "No child should have to wait so long to get the help they need.”

Read the full report: Waiting for a Seat: The Shortage of Preschool Special Education Class Seats in New York City.