Void from Rainbow Preschool closing felt 4 years later

Local schools, county discussing how to offer services for preschoolers with disabilities

HOLLEY – It’s been nearly four years since Rainbow Preschool closed, ending a program that served children ages 2 ½ to 5 with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Rainbow Preschool shut down sites in Albion and Batavia, leaving no similar programs in Orleans or Genesee counties.

Officials at Holley Central School said children with disabilities now are either not getting early intervention services before age 5, on waiting lists or have to travel much farther away.

“There is no center-based program in Orleans County serving children with special needs,” Brian Bartalo, Holley school superintendent, told the Board of Education on Monday. “We’re worried about kids coming to our PreK and kindergarten who are struggling and not as prepared.”

It is county government’s responsibility to provide services for young children with disabilities before they enroll in a public school.

Rainbow Preschool for about 50 years used to provide special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, counseling, parent training, music therapy, and speech/language therapy for students to prepare them for kindergarten.

The school was run by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. At its peak, the school served 300 children. The enrollment for 2020-21 was at 26 students.

The school in Albion was located at the Arnold Gregory Complex at 243 S. Main St. In Batavia, Rainbow Preschool was at the former Robert Morris school on Union Street.

Bartalo said county officials will have a meeting later this month with representatives from the five school districts in Orleans County to brainstorm how the services could be provided locally.

“They are leaning into the school districts about how to solve this,” Bartalo said.

In a related issue, Stephanie Sanchez, director of special programs for Holley Central School, said the district recently received surveys from 145 parents of students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan). The district has a 98.6 percent positive response rate from parents of students with disabilities, well above the state target of 94 percent.

“I’m glad our parents feel supported,” Sanchez told the Board of Education.