The Kessler Center

School mission

Easterseals New York provides exceptional services to ensure that all people with disabilities or special needs and their families have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities.

The Kessler Center – A Service of Easterseals New York, located in Rochester, NY, is an approved private special education (853) school offering both residential (CRP) and day placements for students with developmental disabilities.

The school program is licensed by New York State Education Department and the residential program is licensed through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. 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

Additionally, students who are seeking admission into the joint education-residential program must:

• Be eligible for OPWDD services

The Kessler Center is an available option for school districts seeking an out-of-district placement for a student with a developmental disability. 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 are dually diagnosed or who struggle with behavioral challenges.

How to apply

Placement in the Kessler Center day school program and 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. No change in student placement can be made by any authority other than the student’s CSE.