Capital District Beginnings is a NYS Education Department approved Preschool Special Education Service Agency as well as an Evaluator and Provider of Early Intervention and contracted school-age Special Education Services. Beginnings currently provides a wide array of special education and therapy services to children in their homes or in one of over 70 different child care centers, preschools, and schools including Universal Pre-Kindergartens and Head Start programs. Established in 1984, Beginnings has become one of the largest early childhood special needs providers in the Greater Capital Region. However we might not be easy to recognize due to our unique model of integration. Instead of bringing children with special needs to separate centers, we provide services where children are typically living, learning, and playing. We accomplish our mission of true integration by supporting and blending into existing early childhood programs and community settings through long standing education and community partnerships. We are able to provide a variety of individualized, high-quality educational and therapeutic services for children from birth to five-years-old with special needs, and also provide support to their families. Beginnings uses a child-centered philosophy incorporating learning through play. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate, support, and strengthen existing high-quality Pre-School and Universal Pre-K programs through strong, collaborative teaching partnerships. Capital District Beginnings prides itself on its quality of services, true integration model, diversity of service options and strong reputation. Although we are a large, decentralized Agency, we strive to empower and value all employees and often refer to ourselves as “Beginnings Family.” Through the use of teams and regional clusters we create smaller, supportive, family style working environments. We work hard to attract and retain highly qualified teaching and therapy professionals.