Every family in Wisconsin — from Milwaukee and Madison to the smallest town in the Northwoods — 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 Wisconsin 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 even when your income is too high for regular Medicaid — plus your special-education rights and the exact evaluation timeline your school district must follow. Start with the free programs below; then, you'll find free guides and templates to build your plan.
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The Wisconsin Birth to 3 Program (Department of Health Services) is the state's IDEA Part C early-intervention system. It gives free developmental evaluation and services — speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy — to any child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition, delivered in your home or community. No diagnosis is required to be referred, and services are based on your child's needs. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler. Anyone — including a parent — can make a referral.
Birth to 3 is run county by county across Wisconsin. Use the DHS county contact list to find the primary point of referral for the county where your family lives, or call 2-1-1. You don't need a doctor's note — call or send a referral yourself and the local program reaches out to you.
WI FACETS is Wisconsin's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Its Help Desk specialists give free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the special-education evaluation, and the IEP process — with support in English and Spanish. These are trained parent specialists, many of whom have been through it with their own children. Call before you pay any private advocate.
Beyond one-on-one help, WI FACETS runs free workshops and webinars across Wisconsin on evaluations, IEPs, behavior, transition, and dispute resolution — and posts recorded sessions you can watch any time. A great way to walk into your next IEP meeting prepared and confident.
Disability Rights Wisconsin is the state's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency. It provides free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint and seclusion, discipline, and access to services. Its plain-language fact sheets on the special-education evaluation are excellent. A powerful no-cost resource before you ever hire a lawyer.
The Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), part of the Department of Workforce Development, provides free help for students with disabilities to prepare for work, college, and independent living. Through Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), DVR assigns a counselor as a liaison to every public high school. Students should connect with DVR about two years before leaving high school (or earlier). Ask your DVR counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
Wisconsin has a true Katie Beckett pathway. The Katie Beckett Program lets a child under 19 with a long-term disability or complex medical needs qualify for Medicaid based on the CHILD's disability and income — not the parents' income. That means families who earn too much for regular Medicaid can still get Medicaid coverage that pays for therapies, equipment, and care. There is no waiting list to apply, so the single most important move is to apply TODAY through your local agency or DHS.
The Children's Long-Term Support (CLTS) Waiver is Wisconsin's Medicaid waiver for children under 22 with significant developmental, physical, or emotional disabilities. It can pay for in-home therapy, intensive autism services, respite, adaptive aids, daily-living-skills training, and home modifications. Eligibility is based on your child's functional needs, not just family income (a modest income-based parental payment may apply). Contact your county's CLTS intake to apply — get your child's name on the list as soon as possible.
You can ask your school district in writing to evaluate your child for special education at any time — this is called a referral. Once the district receives your written referral, it has up to 15 business days to review existing data and either request your consent to test or notify you that no new testing is needed. The day the district receives your signed consent starts a 60-calendar-day clock to complete the evaluation and decide eligibility. After eligibility is found, the team has 30 calendar days to write the IEP and decide placement. Put your request in writing and date it — the clock depends on those dates.
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 with the school's testing, and to dispute resolution (state complaint, mediation, or due process). Wisconsin DPI publishes the Procedural Safeguards notice, and your PTI above explains all of it for free.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Special Education team sets the rules every district must follow, runs the state complaint, mediation, and due-process systems, and publishes the Wisconsin Dyslexia Guidebook to help families and schools recognize and respond to reading disabilities. Start here to know exactly what the state requires of your school district.
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 in Wisconsin.
Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech, OT, and ABA by telehealth across Wisconsin — vital for families in rural counties far from a clinic. 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 Wisconsin families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Wisconsin'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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How do I start the special-education process in Wisconsin?
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 Wisconsin?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Wisconsin — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.