Betty Baez Melo testifies on inclusion of children with disabilities

Thank you for the chance to talk about 2K and the opportunity for the city to build a truly inclusive and accessible program that meets the needs of all children and families.

My name is Betty Baez-Mello.

I'm an attorney and the director of early childhood education at Advocates for Children of New York.

We want to congratulate the city and New York City Public Schools on the launch of 2K this September.

We know how meaningful the opportunity is for the 2,000 toddlers and families who are benefiting from the program this year.

As 2K expands in the coming years, it's critical that the city create an inclusive program that meets the needs of all toddlers.

So we're focusing our limited time today on the inclusion of children with disabilities, as in prior expansions of early childhood education, we've seen them left behind, and a program cannot be universal unless it meets the needs of children with disabilities.

For children ages 3 to 5, New York City Public Schools offers not just 3K and pre-K general education classes, but also more specialized settings with smaller class ratios, more individualized attention, and instruction provided by a special education teacher.

However, such models do not exist for 2-year-olds.

While many children with disabilities can be supported in their 2K program with the help of existing program staff and coordination with early intervention, it is important to note that EI

is only for a fraction of the day and does not ensure that children get the support and accommodations they need to participate in the full-day 2K program.

Therefore, while coordination with VI is critical, the city must also consider resources, supports, and program models needed to serve children with more significant disabilities and intensive needs who require

higher specialized care.

We're pleased that the city has made clear that children with disabilities are welcome in all 2K programs and appreciate the work that the city has done so far.

As it expands 2K, we encourage it to build on this work and take the following steps.

Monitor and strengthen current efforts to serve children with disabilities, including processes for requesting evaluations, for requesting and approving accommodations and supports, as well as coordination with EI.

Set aside dedicated resources, including for accommodations and supports not covered by early intervention.

Identify specialists or additional staff who need to be hired to ensure programs can serve children with disabilities.

Let me just do more.

Leverage the expertise of CBOs that already serve children with disabilities by, for example, encouraging center-based EI and preschool special education programs to apply for 2K.

To apply for 2K or contracting with them to support existing providers, and ensure that families are properly matched with programs and sites that are physically accessible for them.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I'll be happy to answer questions.

Thanks, Betty.

Laura?