ISD 191 early childhood special education team reports rising referrals, staffing strains and program reach
Summary
The district's ECSE team told the ISD 191 board that early intervention is legally mandated under IDEA; presenters reported about 303 active early-intervention identifications, 65 students in VPK, growth in referrals, staff composition, and described the 45-calendar-day evaluation timeline and family-centered coaching model.
Christy Wonczak, ECSE supervisor, presented the early childhood special education (ECSE) update to the ISD 191 Board of Education on Nov. 20.
Wonczak described the district's birth-to-3 and 3-to-5 services and emphasized that the program is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). She explained the district's family-centered coaching model and the legal timeline for birth-to-3 cases: staff have up to 45 calendar days to complete a screening, evaluation and planning meeting after a referral. “Everything is family centered,” Wonczak said, describing in‑home or community-based visits and a team approach that typically involves two disciplines plus a teacher.
The presentation included enrollment and staffing details. Wonczak said there were 303 active students identified for early intervention and about 65 students in voluntary pre‑kindergarten (VPK) programs across the district; she said 105 were receiving early intervention services as of the meeting. Referral volumes cited for 2023 included 296 birth‑to‑3 referrals and 268 referrals for ages 3–5. The ECSE team listed staff roles and counts: seven birth‑to‑3 teachers, multiple speech‑language pathologists, occupational therapists and related service providers, and a roughly 0.6 and 0.8 psychologist allocation for 3‑to‑5 work — an item board members pressed for clarification on.
Board members asked how referrals arrive and how the district collaborates with medical providers and community therapists. Staff said referrals come from a range of sources — pediatricians, well‑child visits, parents and other community partners — and noted that with parental permission the school can coordinate with outside therapy providers by exchange of releases. Director Ault asked about psychologist availability; Wonczak explained the distinction between evaluations and ongoing support and said the district's psychologists are heavily used for initial assessments and autism diagnostic testing.
Staff and board members discussed staffing challenges. Wonczak and other presenters described creative coverage strategies, in‑building teamwork and recent hiring efforts; the presenters noted difficulty recruiting educational assistants and ECSE‑licensed teachers and said the program had increased staffing where possible to meet growth.
No board action was required; the board thanked the ECSE team for its report.
