The Kessler Center

Kessler center

The Kessler Center was specifically designed to aid students with limited to profound cognitive disabilities who have been rejected by all other special education programs in NYS due to high behavioral intensity. All students at The Kessler Center must be on the Skill and Achievement Commencement Credential (SACC) pathway which requires taking the New York State Alternative Assessment (NYSAA) in lieu of the standard state accountability testing. Additionally, students on the SACC do not take regents examinations.

The Kessler Center is an approved private special education (853) school offering both residential (CRP) and day placements for students with developmental disabilities. We are an available option for school districts seeking an out-of-district placement since the Kessler Center has broad expertise working with students across the entire range of developmental disabilities. In addition, The Kessler Center has advanced expertise in autism spectrum disorders and working with children with developmental disabilities who struggle with behavioral challenges.

The school program is licensed by New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the residential program is licensed through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). The program is open to students throughout New York State who are in need of a highly individualized special education program.

For a student to be eligible for admission to The Kessler Center they must:

• Be between the ages of 5 and 21

• Have a Developmental Disability

• Be on the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) pathway

• Have been unsuccessfully served by in-district/BOCES programs

Additionally, students who are seeking admission into the joint education-residential program must be eligible for OPWDD services.

The residential program at The Kessler Center is comprised of one 9-bed Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) home and one 8-bed ICF home licensed as Children’s Residential Project (CRP) beds. ICFs are licensed by OPWDD. The Children’s Residential Project (CRP) is the formal linkage of a NYSED certified, private special education (853) school and OPWDD licensed residences into a single academic placement. Placement in the 24-hour program can only be made through the school district Committee on Special Education (CSE) process, not directly by OPWDD or any voluntary agency. Access to the day school program is also made only by CSE. No change in student placement can be made by any authority other than the student’s CSE