Transitioning from Early Intervention (EI) to CPSE, to put it nicely, is a process.  EI is run by the NYC Board of Health, whereas CPSE is run by the NYC Department of Education (DOE).  With this comes several differences:

  • There is no Service Coordinator provided…YOU are now the Service Coordinator
  • They (DOE) advocate more strongly for Center-based programs rather than services in the home
  • They do not believe in “methodologies,” (i.e.: ABA, Prompt Therapy); therefore, they will not include on an IEP
  • Typically, mandates are much lower than what is given in EI, since therapies (Speech/OT/PT) need to happen within the school day in one of their center-based programs; therefore, they can only accommodate mandates of 2, maybe 3, times 30 minutes a week.

Everyone has different expectations and varied experiences with the CPSE process.  Ours has been more complicated, but we chose to make it this way because Dubbers, fortunately and unfortunately is well, complicated.  As parents and his greatest advocates, we need to ensure he is going to receive the most appropriate and “custom-fitted” program as possible.  It is so fortunate to have these center-based programs available for so many “disabled” children; however, in some cases they may not have the capacity, resources and methodology to be the right “fit” for every child.

I did tour several, if not all, CPSE Center-based programs in Manhattan, as that is what the DOE had recommended for Dubbers.  I wanted to list them below, as some are more well-known then others.  It could also be helpful to know what exists prior to beginning your own CPSE experience.

Child Development Center – 34 West 139th Street, NY, NY 10037

PS226 @ The Manhattan School (D75) – 12 West 12th Street, NY, NY 10011

Children’s Learning Center – 1751 Park Avenue, New York, NY

Gramercy School – 460 West 34th Street, 2nd floor, NY, NY

Roosevelt Children’s Center – 460 West 34th Street, 2nd floor, NY, NY

AMAC – 25 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

Kennedy Child Study Center – 2212 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY

Central Park Early Learning Center – 15 West 65th Street, New York, NY