Early Childhood Special Education

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 services to preschool aged children with disabilities. 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:

 

Best Practices:

Preschool Indicators:

 

 

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. 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Lenka Studnicka

Program Specialist

602-542-1134

[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 3/13/23

From the Exceptional Student Services Blog

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: FY24 Statement of Assurances required by all PEAs opens on 4/3/23 Mon, Mar 20 2023 Data Management, Updates

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

FY23 Statement of Assurances required by all PEAs opens on 4/3/23

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), the representative body for Special Education for Arizona, Exceptional Student Services, is required to obtain assurances from Public Education Agencies (PEAs) to attest that they are meeting the requirements under state and federal statute for special education in the state of Arizona.

It is a requirement for all entities defined as PEAs regardless if they get federal funds or not.

All PEAs must submit the IDEA Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal of ADEConnect.

The application will open on 4/3/23 and close for submissions on 6/15/23.
INTERNAL PD INFO: Multi-Tier Behavior Supports (MTBS) Year 1 Mon, Mar 20 2023 Professional Learning and Sustainability, Updates

Special Education Directors:

Are you concerned about the current rate of suspensions and expulsions at your school or district? Do you feel students are losing valuable class time due to disruptions and other behavior problems? Are teachers struggling to be successful with classroom management? Are administrators spending too much time dealing with discipline issues?  If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you might find the solution in Multi-Tier Behavior Supports.