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Preschool Variance Procedures

Beginning August 1, 2023, paper copies of variances will no longer be accepted.

In the event that the variance to over-enroll the classroom is no longer needed, the approved preschool program must inform OSE that the impacted classroom no longer exceeds its approved student-to-staff ratio.  To do so, email preschoolvariance@nysed.gov with the date this variance was submitted and the identifying label created to reference this application.

Process to Temporarily Exceed an Approved Special Class Size for Preschool Students with Disabilities

via SEDMON (Effective August 1, 2023 for the 2023-2024 school year)

1. Go to the NYSED Business Portal (https://portal.nysed.gov/abp);

2. Click on the “Log In” button;

3. For Approved Private Preschool Programs: Chief Executive Officer - enter your username and password for your “parent” or “main” site (i.e. this site is used by NYSED to link all your affiliated sites)
For School Districts and BOCES: Building-Level Leader  - enter your username and password for the appropriate site (i.e. the site where the impacted classroom is located);

The task of inputting information can be delegated by the CEO or Building-Level Leader through the State Education Department Delegated Account System (SEDDAS). The CEO or Building-Level Leader retains exclusive rights to certify and submit surveys. Information about delegating rights and assigning surveys can be found by following the Preschool Variance SEDDAS User Guide, which has been taken from pages 26-27 of the SEDDAS User Guide and the SEDDAS Mini Guide.

4. Click on “SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System” under “My Applications”;

5. Select “View Surveys for Special Education – ASEP”;

6. Find the appropriate report titled “Preschool Variance by Notification” or “Preschool Variance by Approval” for the applicable site. This survey will be assigned to each of your approved preschool center-based site locations.  For example, if you operate three preschool center-based sites, you will see three separate surveys, one for each site. The surveys are site-specific and therefore you must choose the site specific to your notification or request for approval. If it is not evident which survey is associated with which site, information including institution ID, popular name, and physical address as listed on the NYSED record can be found on the first page of each available survey entitled “Provider Info”; and

7. Click on “view” to begin/continue to input information required for the application.