Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
District 110’s ECSE team provides a continuum of specialized services for young children who qualify through a comprehensive special education evaluation, beginning as early as birth and continuing through age five (prior to kindergarten).
Housed at the Waconia Enrichment Center, our team works collaboratively with families, Wildcat Preschool, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), and local community programs to ensure every eligible child receives high-quality, tailored support in their most natural learning environment.
Service Delivery Models
We offer flexible service settings designed to meet each child’s unique developmental and educational needs.
Home-Based Services (Birth to Age 3)
Services for infants and toddlers are delivered directly in the home or childcare setting year-round. ECSE teachers and therapists work alongside parents and caregivers to embed learning opportunities into daily family routines (such as playtime or meals).
Inclusion-Based Services (Ages 3 to 5)
Inclusion-based services deliver Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) directly within the general education preschool classroom. Students participate in the general education preschool curriculum alongside their peers while receiving tailored instruction, accommodations, and specialized support from ECSE staff. This promotes academic, language, and social development in an inclusive, peer-modeled environment.
Center-Based Services (Ages 3 to 5)
Center-based services are a specialized placement designed for students who require higher levels of support to make meaningful progress. Instruction takes place exclusively within a specialized, small-group Special Education classroom. This provides a lower student-to-staff ratio, a highly structured environment, and direct, intensive instruction tailored to complex developmental needs.
Speech–Language Services (Birth to Age 5)
Speech and language support is provided across all service settings based on individual needs. Services address speech-language disorders (articulation, stuttering, voice) as well as communication needs related to conditions such as autism, developmental delays, hearing loss, cerebral palsy, and other developmental conditions.
- Birth to 3: Delivered year-round in the home or childcare environment.
- Ages 3 to 5: Delivered in small-group speech sessions, general preschool settings, or center-based classrooms.
Placement & Determination Process
Placement decisions are never automatic—they are fully individualized for every child. Any service placement (Inclusion-Based or Center-Based) is recommended by licensed Special Education teachers and specialists based on comprehensive evaluation data, and ultimately determined by the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.
Our Team
Our core ECSE team consists of licensed Early Childhood Special Education teachers and Speech Language Pathologists. Based on individual child needs, District 110 also collaborates with specialized itinerant staff, including:
- Occupational & Physical Therapists
- Teachers for the Deaf / Hard of Hearing & Vision Consultants
- Autism & Behavior Specialists
- School Psychologists
Referrals
Do you have questions about how your child is learning, playing, listening, talking, moving, seeing, or behaving? To get additional information or to refer your child for assessment, please call Carver County Help Me Grow at (952) 567-8210 or visit helpmegrowmn.org.
Samantha Jung, Special Education Manager
sjung@isd110.org
(952) 856-4525
Paul Tordoff, Special Education Director
ptordoff@isd110.org
(952) 442-0628