It should have nothing to do with income. Your children qualify for services based on their speech delays. Early intervention is recommending continued services and the state will have to offer these services. If they are saying the closest place they can offer speech therapy and developmental preschool (which is the special education preschool) then that is what they are offering. You have the choice to decline that if you want and you can change your mind later. If you do change your mind, the school will conduct a new evaluation and determine if you children qualify for services at that time.

If they go to the Head Start Preschool, will they continue to receive speech therapy? I wouldn't worry so much about the preschool setting but make sure they continue in speech (but I'm a speech pathologist so that's my priority). They have each other in the classroom and there may be other kids who qualified for speech or hearing or vision issues, not just behavioral issues. The kids with 'special needs' are in there because the qualify for some reason. It may be speech delay, hearing loss, vision issues, cerebral palsy, autism, language delay, or any other number of issues. Ask if you can observe the classroom before making a decision. You may be surprised by the kids in the class.

I guess the other option would be to put them in whatever school you want (or keep them out) and put them in private speech therapy ($$$) or see if then can do speech only at the school. In WA state we have the option to decline the preschool and just take the kids for a speech therapy session.

Good luck in your decision. I don't know if there's a wrong decision, just find what works for your family and be sure to keep the kids in speech therapy somewhere since that's where they have delays. Feel free to email me if you have more questions.

Brenda
mom to GGGs born 6/29/09 at 32w4d