The mission of Student & Social Services is to support Berks County school districts by providing quality, innovative programming and services that meet the needs of specialized populations.

Educational Programs

Alternative Education

Alternative education provides programming for students who have been unsuccessful in their home school district due to behavior problems or anti-social behavior; students who have substance/chemical abuse issues; students who have been charged with/convicted of a crime; students who are in the country illegally or are awaiting a determination hearing; and/or students who have been removed from their homes by order of the court and are awaiting placement. Programming can be residential or school-based.

Training and Consultation

TaC, formerly called the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), provides training and support to regular and special education teaching staff within Berks County public schools based on initiatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Early Intervention

Early Intervention provides services to preschool-aged children (3–5 years) who are identified as eligible because they have a particular handicapping condition or because they exhibit a 25% or greater delay in one or more of the developmental domains. Children are referred to the Early Intervention program through parents, physicians, relatives, child care, and preschool providers and through the Early Intervention program (birth–3 years) operated by Service Access Management, Inc.

Regular Education

The division provides the following services to regular education school-age students: driver’s education, migrant education, environmental education at Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, and pregnant and parenting teen education and programming.

Special Education

Special education services include programming for elementary and secondary students who have Individualized Education Plans. Students can be placed in emotional support classes, life skills support classes, or classes for the deaf and hard of hearing. Additional supports, such as vocational/job coaching, assistive technology, social work services, and psychological services are available to students. Extended School Year services support students who are at risk of regression or loss of academic skills. 

Social Service Programs

Child Care Information Services (CCIS)

CCIS provides child care funding to low-income working families and resource/referral services to the general public, including child care referrals and information on a variety of child care topics.

Homeless Student

The goal of the Homeless Student Program is to have the education of homeless children and youth continue uninterrupted. Based on the McKinney-Vento Law regarding homeless students, services include supporting immediate school enrollment, offering after-school homework assistance, providing school uniforms and supplies, and assisting with transportation arrangements.

Other Social Services

The division provides broad-based social services, including ACCESS medical billing, Cordero reporting, Education Leading to Employment and Career Training (ELECT), fatherhood initiative, interagency coordination, pregnant and parenting teen program, and surrogate parenting.