Best Special Ed Preschools

Which special ed preschool have you heard is great? There are various threads on here but not one that I could find referring to all schools.

I have heard the following schools are wonderful-
Variety
Little Village
HASC

Right now the only full day openings for my 3 and a half year old son are at -
Barbara C Wilson
Brookville Center-Marcus Ave School
Brookville Center-SUNY Old Westbury
Millneck Manor

There is a 1/2 day afternoon 8:1:1 opening at Variety but he really needs a full day. Not sure where to send him...

Best Special Ed Preschools

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Re: Best Special Ed Preschools

My daughter has been going to Boces CRC in Bellmore for the last 4 years. She is doing fantastic there. The staff is beyond committed and compassionate. The principal can see any child and knows them all by name. Plus, I always felt it had a more "school-like" feel than others we looked at. Feel free to FM me if you have any questins about the program.

Re: Best Special Ed Preschools

A lot depends on the needs of your DS…what is his DX (if any). I have a little boy in brookville marcus avenue and they are very happy. (He is on the spectrum)

Best Special Ed Preschools

My child currently is in a private preschool and has a SEIT, gets OT 3x a week and Speech 2x a week. Is it your son that goes to Marcus Ave or someone you service? Marcus Ave is on my list to go see because they may have an opening. I heard they were in an office building on the lower level. I am starting to realize that no school is perfect. Guess I will just look for what I feel is the best fit overall.

Re: Best Special Ed Preschools

It is a child that i service. Yes, from the outside it looks more like a clinical setting. I always tell parents to look at all your options and make a list of pros and cons. What you may think is a great fit for your DC another Mom may not like so its hard to go on recommendations. Ask a lot of questions! Good luck!

Best Special Ed Preschools

You'll get a variety of answers on this. My DS went to Little Village and we loved it. Full day spots are very difficult to get there, pretty much impossible if the child doesn't start there in a half day program.

I will tell you that if he needs a full day, the district may push you to take an opening at whatever school has a full day for him. I realized after talking to a few schools that wherever he was going to start as a 3 year old who needed a full day was where he would stay because the slots just don't open up that often and when they do, they give priority to their own half day students first.

I was not a fan of Marcus Ave. Did not like the setup, but when we went for a screening, I was not thrilled with the staff in the class he would have been placed in, that made a big difference for me. One school I had preconceived ideas about, based on what people told me, ended up being a class I would have liked for him if he did not end up staying at Little Village. I really think you have to go see the schools for yourself to figure out what would be a good fit.

I had one school try to talk me into a half day, saying he really didn't need a full day program, I think because we were approaching the summer and they wanted to fill the slot. You can't assume everyone else has your DC's best interest in mind.

Message edited 1/13/2014 12:59:11 PM.

Re: Best Special Ed Preschools

My son goes to ICCD ( Mineola location). I believe they started in the city but now are branching out to LI. The teachers are great and work with me on things. They have also been helpful and supportive when we are prepping for CPSE meetings. We toured HASC and did not like it (they wanted to put him into a self contained class) six months later after seeing a developmental pediatrician and talking to Speech therapists etc., self contained would not have been right for him.