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."

"The state appealed the decision, and education groups including the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators sent letters of support. But the U.S. Department of Education denied the appeal. 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."

A $10.5 million federal grant known as the PEPTI Project funded statewide training starting in 2023 to help child care practitioners and teachers support children with disabilities transitioning into preschool and succeeding in classrooms. The grant was administered by the Napa County Office of Education for the California Department of Education. The program trained more than a hundred educators before federal officials abruptly canceled the grant three years early, citing a conflict with the priorities of the current administration. The state appealed and received organizational support, but the Department of Education denied the appeal. The cancellation leaves a $4 million funding gap, threatens the state's early childhood special education training infrastructure and may cause staff layoffs.

Read at The Mercury News