en Español • Print • Share
If your child is eligible for Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), you may consider placement in a pre-kindergarten program offered in many Texas school districts. Texas funds half-day pre-kindergarten programs in districts which have 15 or more four-year-olds who:
- Are unable to speak or understand English; Are educationally disadvantaged (eligible for the free/reduced lunch program);
- Are homeless;
- Have parents serving in active military duty, in an activated reserve unit, or who were killed or wounded in action; or
- Are in or who have ever been in Foster Care (i.e., Texas Department of Family and Protective Services conservatorship)*
School districts may draw on other funding sources to provide a full-day program or open the program to three-year-olds. Additional funding sources may also be used to include preschoolers with disabilities. Some school districts partner with local Head Start programs and community daycare providers.
Pre-Kindergarten programs are designed to help at-risk preschoolers develop the skills they need to be successful when they reach public school. Emphasis is on language development, pre-reading and mathematics, and social skills. Like Head Start, state-funded pre-kindergarten programs can provide the inclusive programming that benefits children both with and without disabilities.
To find out if there is a pre-kindergarten program available in your school district, contact your neighborhood school or your district’s administration office.
Least Restrictive Environment/Inclusion
- Preschool LRE Environments/Settings Question & Answer Document - Access to General Curriculum (Region 20 ESC)
- OSEP Dear Collegue Letter Regarding LRE for Preschool Children (pdf) - This letter clarifies how least restrictive environment (LRE) requirements apply to the placement of preschool children with disabilities.
- Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center - Proposed Benefits of Inclusion and Research & Studies on Inclusion
- Division of Early Childhood (DEC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion
- Inclusive Schools Network - Early Childhood Resources
- Disability is Natural articles by Kathie Snow – Environment, Environment, Environment and Special Education Preschools, Help or Hindrance
Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD)
Texas Education Agency