Yonkers shares Westchester County's Early Intervention referral line and OPWDD access point with the rest of the county, while school evaluation runs through Yonkers Public Schools directly, and the city itself runs a dedicated recreation program for residents with developmental disabilities.

This page lists the phone numbers, URLs, and publicly documented details behind each door, drawn from official state, county, and city sources.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the New York page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Yonkers (Westchester County).

Early intervention under 3: New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) — Westchester County

Westchester County's Department of Health administers Early Intervention countywide, Yonkers included. A parent, pediatrician, or child care provider can call the program directly to start a referral, and no diagnosis is needed first — a developmental concern about a child under 3 is enough. State regulation (10 NYCRR §69-4.11) requires the family service plan to be completed within 45 days of referral, with services beginning within 30 days of a parent's signature, all at no cost.

• New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) — Westchester County
• Referral phone: 914-813-5094

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Yonkers Public Schools, like every New York district, carries a Child Find duty — locating and evaluating a child with a suspected disability, birth through 21, at no cost to the family. A written request to the school starts the clock; under 8 NYCRR §200.4 the district then has 60 calendar days from your consent to complete the evaluation.

• Yonkers Public Schools — Office of Student Support Services, One Larkin Center, main line 914-376-8000; referral emails CSE_Referrals@yonkerspublicschools.org and CPSE-PreK_Referrals@yonkerspublicschools.org
• White Plains City School District — Pupil Services 914-422-2034, a neighboring Westchester district

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Yonkers

These are hospital and university programs with public intake information. Listing here is informational — it is not a recommendation, and it is not medical advice. Public school evaluation is free and does not require any of these.

• Boston Children's Health Physicians — Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (Hawthorne) — diagnosis and care for autism, ADHD, developmental delay, and learning problems, with behavioral intervention, parent counseling, and coordination with speech, OT, and PT specialists; new-patient intake begins with a virtual visit · 914-304-5250

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: NYS OPWDD — Lower Hudson Valley region

OPWDD's Lower Hudson Valley office, based in Tarrytown, covers Westchester County along with Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan counties. The statewide Infoline (866-946-9733) will transfer you to your regional Front Door, or you can call the Lower Hudson Valley office directly. From there, families go through eligibility determination, a needs evaluation, and Care Manager-led service planning, including Medicaid's Home and Community Based Services Waiver for those who apply.

• NYS OPWDD — Lower Hudson Valley region
• Phone: 845-947-6100 (Lower Hudson Valley region) · 866-946-9733 (statewide Infoline)

Local organizations that help Yonkers families

• The Arc Westchester — 914-949-9300 (24-hour crisis line 914-949-8200); countywide services including early intervention support and family resources
• Autism Society Greater Hudson Region — 1-833-692-7447; covers 21 counties including Westchester
• Westchester Independent Living Center — Parent Training and Information — 845-228-7457; federally funded parent training and information center for Westchester families
• City of Yonkers — Project Friendship & Camp Pride — 914-377-6000; year-round recreation (Special Olympics training, art therapy, tennis, music therapy) plus a summer day camp for residents with developmental disabilities
• Achieve Beyond — Hudson Valley/White Plains — 914-328-2868; ABA, speech, OT, and PT serving greater Westchester including Yonkers
• Special Olympics New York — Hudson Valley Region — 845-765-2497; covers Westchester and the surrounding Hudson Valley counties
• United Way Westchester & Putnam 211 Helpline — dial 211; free 24/7 referral line

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Yonkers Public Schools' CSE answers to the same statewide rule as every other district: recommended services must be arranged within 60 school days of consent, or 30 school days from an approved private-school recommendation. (source)
• New York's mandate carries no age or dollar cap for autism coverage, but a Yonkers family should still expect the 680-hour-per-year ceiling it places on covered ABA. (source)