• EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION (ECSE)

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    ECSE: What's in a Name?

    What is ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education)?

    Eligible children with disabilities aged three through 21 years are entitled to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In Texas, special education and related services for eligible children with disabilities, aged three through five years, have historically been referred to as Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD).

    In an effort to clarify and promote understanding that any child aged three through five years who is eligible for and receiving special education and related services through a school district must be served in the least restrictive environment specified in the child’s IEP, references to PPCD are being phased out of the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) and other TEA publications over time and will instead be considered as receiving ECSE services. (Courtesy of Region 10)