For many parents of children with disabilities in Chicago, the 2025–2026 school year is off to a rocky start. Staffing changes at Chicago Public Schools’ Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) have been well-documented by the media, advocates, City Council and even OSD itself through a district-wide email. What has not been widely reported is how these sweeping changes are affecting the city’s youngest learners, for whom special education and related services are critical.
Children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) enrolled in community-based early childhood programs (CBOs) have long faced barriers to receiving services. Because supports are delivered through CPS schools, families must “dually enroll” their children, spending half the day in their community-based program and half in a CPS school. Families often choose community-based programs because of language and cultural needs, safety, convenience or the need for full-day care. But once a child is found eligible for special education, families face a difficult choice: accept the logistical and emotional strain of dual enrollment, or forgo services altogether.
Making this dual enrollment model work has always required strong collaboration between community-based staff and OSD. Even then, delays and disruptions are common:
- Transportation paperwork errors prevent buses from arriving.
- Children are assigned to schools in other neighborhoods, raising safety concerns.
- CPS staff misunderstand dual enrollment and refuse to implement it.
- Families grow so frustrated by the back-and-forth that they give up on services.
