Cuts Threaten Program for Special-Needs Children
Like thousands of Chicago parents every year, Jennifer Meade-Magruder is uncertain about which public school her child will attend in the fall. But the prospects are more unsettling now because the pre-schools that could serve her special-needs son, Joshua, face smaller budgets that could force closure.
Meade-Magruder may not know if Joshua’s current school will close until late summer. If it does, CPS must find a place for Joshua, but the new spot may not include the support he now receives. That could leave his mother with little time to scramble for alternatives.
Joshua, 3, has attended Barbara Vick Early Childhood Center, a preschool on the South Side that serves a high number of children with special needs. After a year there, Joshua, who has been provisionally diagnosed with