Every family in Minnesota — from Minneapolis and St. Paul to the smallest town on the Iron Range or the prairie — has the same powerful set of FREE statewide programs for a child with disabilities or delays. You don't need a diagnosis, a lawyer, or money to start. This page is your map to the help Minnesota already owes your child: free early intervention, free parent-rights experts, free legal advocacy, free vocational rehabilitation for teens, and Medicaid programs that pay for therapy based on your child's needs — not just your income — plus your special-education rights and the exact evaluation timeline the school must follow. Start with the free programs below; then, you'll find free guides and templates to build your plan.
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Minnesota's Part C system — Infant and Toddler Intervention, reached through Help Me Grow — gives free developmental evaluation and services (speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy) to any child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition, anywhere in the state. There is no income test and no diagnosis required. Services are delivered by your local school district or special-education cooperative, often in your home. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.
Anyone — a parent, doctor, or you yourself — can refer a child with a developmental concern through Help Me Grow online at helpmegrowmn.org or by calling 1-866-693-GROW (4769). They route your child to the local program serving your district. You don't need to wait for anyone's permission to make the call.
PACER Center is Minnesota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — and one of the most respected parent centers in the entire country. They give free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/504 process, plus workshops, publications, and an advocacy line. Trained parent advocates who've been through it themselves. Call PACER before you pay any private advocate.
PACER runs dedicated multicultural projects with bilingual staff who support Spanish-speaking, Hmong, Somali, and other families through the special-education system. Ask for help in your language — it is free and confidential.
The Minnesota Disability Law Center is the state's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency, providing free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with evaluations, disputes, restraint/seclusion, and discipline. A powerful no-cost resource before you ever hire a private lawyer.
Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS), part of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), provides free Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to all students with disabilities ages 14–21 — job exploration counseling, work-based learning, postsecondary counseling, workplace-readiness training, and self-advocacy instruction. A student does not even need to formally apply for VR to receive Pre-ETS. Ask your VRS Pre-ETS representative to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
Minnesota offers the TEFRA option (the state's version of the Katie Beckett pathway): Medical Assistance for a child with a disability based on the child's income only — your household income is not counted. It can pay for therapies and services for a child living at home who would otherwise need an institutional level of care, even when the family earns too much for regular Medicaid. Minnesota's parent fee for TEFRA ended in 2023. Apply through your county or the Department of Human Services as soon as possible.
Minnesota's CADI (Community Access for Disability Inclusion) and DD (Developmental Disabilities) waivers fund home and community-based services — therapy, respite, personal supports, and even paying parents through Consumer Directed Community Supports — for children with significant needs. Eligibility is based on the child's needs (a MnCHOICES assessment), not family income. Access can take time, so the most important move is to contact your county and request a MnCHOICES assessment TODAY to get the process started.
You can ask your Minnesota school district in writing to evaluate your child for special education at any time. Once you give written consent, the district must complete the evaluation and the IEP team (including you) must meet to review results and decide eligibility within 30 school days. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to information in your language, to bring anyone to the meeting, and to disagree.
Under IDEA you have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), to a full evaluation at no cost, to be an equal member of the IEP team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute resolution — Minnesota offers a facilitated IEP meeting, conciliation, mediation, a state complaint, and a due-process hearing. Your PTI above (PACER) explains all of it for free.
The Minnesota Department of Education's Special Education division sets the rules every district must follow, runs the complaint and due-process systems, and provides guidance and resources — including dyslexia screening guidance (Minnesota law requires early reading screening). Start here to know exactly what the state requires of your school.
Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your metro's full directory — and these statewide free programs are always shown, no matter how rural your town.
Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across Minnesota — vital for families on the Iron Range, in greater Minnesota, and far from the Twin Cities. Nationally, COPAA (advocates/attorneys), the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (dyslexia), ABPP (board-certified evaluators), BHCOE (ABA), and Bookshare (free accessible books) round out your options.
Federally funded and free — they help Minnesota families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Minnesota's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
Start with the free guides — your child’s IEP and the evaluation — so you know what the school owes your child.
Use a free letter template to request an evaluation or meeting, and the IEP checkup to test every goal.
Pick a credential-vetted advocate or evaluator from the directory above — free to browse, and never pay-to-play.
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Your state's free programs · Find help by ZIP · Explore the tools →
How do I start the special-education process in Minnesota?
Put your request in writing to your child's school, asking for a full special-education evaluation — that is the legal first step. On A New Story you'll find a free, ready-to-send evaluation-request letter you can use today.
How long does a special-education evaluation take?
Once you give written consent, the school generally must complete the evaluation and hold an eligibility meeting within a set timeline (often around 60 days, though it varies by state). Putting your request in writing starts the clock.
Can my school district pay for a private special-education school?
Sometimes. If the public school can't provide an appropriate education, the district can be required to fund a state-approved nonpublic placement. It isn't automatic — it takes the right evaluation and advocacy — but families do it every year, including ones with limited funds.
What's the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and services under IDEA; a 504 plan provides accommodations under civil-rights law. A New Story's free guides walk you through which one fits your child.
Where can I find free special-education help in Minnesota?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Minnesota — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.