Federal cuts end program that trained California teachers to support children with disabilities. Here's why

"The Partnerships for Effective Practices in Transition and Inclusion, or PEPTI Project, had been funded since 2023 through a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The money supported statewide training for child care practitioners and teachers to help children with disabilities transition into preschool and succeed in the classroom. The effort was facilitated by the Napa County Office of Education on behalf of the California Department of Education."

"Now, after training more than a hundred educators across the state, the program is being shut down. This cancellation puts all this work in jeopardy and cuts short planned future impacts, said Seana Wagner, spokesperson for the Napa County Office of Education. In September, the California Department of Education received notice that the federal government was ending the PEPTI Project."

"According to a report prepared for that appeal, much of the state's training infrastructure for early childhood special education will now disappear. The Napa County Office of Education anticipates some of the eight staff members employed on the project will lose their jobs. Of the total $10.5 million grant, California had already received $6.5 million before the cancellation, resulting in a $4 million loss."

A $10.5 million federal PEPTI Project trained California child care practitioners and teachers to support children with disabilities in transitioning to preschool and succeeding academically. The five-year grant began in 2023 and was facilitated by the Napa County Office of Education for the California Department of Education. The federal government canceled the grant three years early, citing conflicting administration priorities. The state appealed and education associations submitted support letters, but the denial stood. The cancellation halts statewide training, threatens the roles of eight project staff, leaves a $4 million funding gap, and risks losing early childhood special education infrastructure.

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