Families should confer with local school district about options
The PARC Preschool, reprieved from closure after an outpouring of support in late spring, has openings this fall for eligible children. Based in Mahopac, the institution serves 3-t0-5-year-olds identified as having special needs.
According to Program Director Jane Curtin, the school has openings both in its special classes, serving preschoolers with moderate-to-intensive special needs, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and in the inclusion classes, for preschoolers with mild-moderate special needs. The special classes may contain up to eight to nine children, all with special needs, while the inclusion classes have approximately 18 children, including six or seven with special needs.
Parents cannot enroll children directly at the school. Instead, public school districts refer eligible students to PARC, following an evaluation. PARC advises parents concerned about a child’s development to contact the chairperson of the Committee on Preschool Special Education in their home school district, to begin the evaluation process.
