{"id":934762,"date":"2026-07-14T17:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T17:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/934762\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T17:41:11","slug":"mamdani-pledges-to-address-longstanding-shortage-of-preschool-special-education-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/934762\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani pledges to address longstanding shortage of preschool special education programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New York City officials are expanding a slew of the city\u2019s highest-demand special education programs into preschool classrooms for the first time, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The expansion this fall is meant to help address the city\u2019s longstanding failure to provide classroom seats to every preschooler with a disability \u2014 a legal requirement \u2014 even as officials created universal preschool for typically developing 3- and 4-year-olds. Mamdani framed the effort as part of his broader push for universal childcare<\/a>. <\/p>\n

To help close the gap, Mamdani said Tuesday that the city will expand five popular programs that already serve K-12 students with autism and other disabilities as part of a $67.5 million investment included in the city budget<\/a>. The expansion will add 250 total seats to the Nest, Horizon<\/a>, AIMS<\/a>, Path<\/a>, and ACES<\/a> programs in 26 schools across 14 of the city\u2019s 32 local districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cUniversal has to mean exactly that \u2014 it has to mean universal,\u201d Mamdani said at a press conference at P.S. 5 Ellen Lurie in Inwood. \u201cHaving a child with a disability or a special need should not make families the exception to that rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Adams, Mamdani\u2019s predecessor, promised to provide a seat to every preschool student with a disability<\/a>. His administration made some progress by opening hundreds more seats. But some students still sat at home without a placement<\/a>, which can be detrimental to children with disabilities early in their development. A Mamdani spokesperson did not say whether the latest expansion is enough to guarantee a seat for every child next school year.<\/p>\n

Mamdani emphasized that the expansion will enable children to attend programs closer to where they live in classrooms that often include typically developing peers. Children have long been forced to travel outside of their neighborhoods<\/a> to access appropriate special education programs. The city is also hoping to keep more students in the public school system rather than paying for private services when families can\u2019t find appropriate placements<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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City officials said many of those programs produce strong academic outcomes for students with disabilities, who tend to post much lower test scores<\/a> and graduation rates<\/a> than their typically developing peers. <\/p>\n

About 97% of Nest and Horizon students, which serve children with autism, ultimately graduate high school, officials said. Students who attend are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than peers in other programs, officials have previously said. They also tend to have higher attendance rates. At the K-12 level, thousands more students could benefit from those programs than there are available seats<\/a>, even as city officials have incrementally expanded them.<\/p>\n

The announcement represents one of the few education initiatives Mamdani has advanced since taking office<\/a>, and advocates praised the investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis funding is urgently needed as the city works to ensure that all preschoolers with disabilities get the evaluations, services, and programs that they need,\u201d said Randi Levine, policy director at Advocates for Children, an organization that helps families navigate the special education system. <\/p>\n

City officials also pledged to strengthen other support for preschool students with disabilities who often go without the services they\u2019re entitled to even after securing a classroom seat. Only 63% of preschool students with disabilities received all of their mandated related services, including speech and occupational therapy, Education Department officials said at a March budget hearing<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The $67.5 million plan includes hiring hundreds of additional staffers, including teachers, psychologists, social workers, and therapists. Officials said the hires will help reduce wait times for special education evaluations. The Education Department is also expanding a program that places special education teachers in general education preschool classrooms, allowing more students with disabilities to access instruction alongside their typically developing peers. <\/p>\n

Here are the 26 schools that will receive new special education programs. Officials did not immediately confirm which programs each school will get.<\/p>\n