Preschool Special Education Evaluation

Nassau County & Suffolk County - Long Island

How will I know if my preschool child needs Special Education?

You may have concerns about your preschool age child’s speech/language, cognitive, physical, social or behavioral development. Your pediatrician, or child’s preschool teacher may have brought their concerns to your attention.

If your preschool age child displays some suspected developmental delay, you may want to contact the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) of your local school district, who will then assist you in beginning the referral process.

How do I begin the Evaluation Process?

Your first step is easy. Call up your local school district Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) and register your child for a preschool evaluation. This will authorize appropriate evaluations to take place. Preschool Special Education Evaluations are provided by your school district at no out-of-pocket cost to families.

The Evaluation Process

When your child is referred to the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE), you will be given a list of agencies approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), including Alternatives For Children, who can provide Preschool Special Education evaluations in the areas of:

Audiological Evaluation
Augmentative Communication Evaluation
Educational Evaluation
Classroom Observation
Occupational Therapy Evaluation
Physical Therapy Evaluation
Psychological Evaluation
Social History
Speech and Language Evaluation
Vision Services Evaluation

Who will contact me about my child’s evaluation?

Once you have chosen Alternatives For Children as the agency to perform your child’s Preschool Special Education evaluation and upon receiving consent to evaluate from your child’s school district, an Evaluation Coordinator from Alternatives For Children will contact you to discuss your concerns about your child’s development. Evaluations will be scheduled to address your concerns, including the New York State Education Department (NYSED) mandated psychological evaluation and social history. An observation of your child at one of our locations or your child’s preschool will also be completed.

Upon completion of your child’s evaluations, a representative from Alternatives For Children will contact you to review the evaluation results. You will receive a packet of your child’s evaluations in the mail prior to your Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) meeting. A representative from Alternatives for Children will also attend your CPSE meeting at the district to review the evaluation reports with the committee.

Who performs the evaluations on my child?

Alternatives For Children has a caring staff of licensed and certified professionals, with extensive training and experience working with preschoolers. These professionals will perform the evaluations and assist you through the evaluation process.

How long does this process take?

Alternatives For Children is state mandated to complete all evaluations, and send results with recommendations to the school district and parents within thirty school days. Once the school district Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) receives the completed reports, they will contact you to schedule a committee meeting to discuss the evaluations and recommendations.

Alternatives For Children provides Preschool Special Education Evaluations as authorized by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Preschool Special Education Evaluations, Preschool Special Education and Preschool Special Education Related Services for eligible children are provided at no out-of-pocket cost to families.

If services are delivered in a childcare setting or community location that requires a fee, the family is responsible for paying any associated costs providing access to the child care or community location.

Preschool Special Education Programs and Services are funded through County taxes and New York State Education Department (NYSED) funds earmarked for Special Education Services.