Autism schools, special education and special needs support in Greeley, Colorado
Greeley has no standalone autism school. What it has is District 6, which evaluates for free and runs its own specialised programs.
For most Weld County families the question is not which school to find, it is how to get the right supports written into an IEP at the school you already have.
A district evaluation timeline runs from a written referral. Call Child Find to begin, then follow it up in writing the same day so the clock actually starts.
Who to actually call
| Need | Who | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation, birth to age 5 | District 6 Child Find, preschool line | 970-348-1050 |
| Child Find team lead | Beth Dick, District 6 | 970-348-1052 |
| School-age special education | District 6 Special Education office | 970-348-6103 |
| Windsor, Severance, west Greeley | Weld RE-4 Exceptional Student Services | 970-686-8030 |
| Smaller Weld districts | Centennial BOCES, Greeley | (970) 352-7404 |
Any family member, doctor or provider can raise a Child Find concern. You do not need a diagnosis first and you do not need to wait for kindergarten. Ask for the Child Find coordinator by name so your request does not sit in a general inbox.
Special education plans are individualized by law, and the good ones come out of genuine collaboration between the family and the school team. Guidance from an outside clinician, whether that is a speech therapist or a behavior analyst, often helps that conversation. Children with co-occurring ADHD are covered by the same process.
What District 6 actually offers
District 6 is larger than most parents expect, roughly 22,500 students across 34 schools, and it runs center-based programs the district describes as intensive autism, affective behavior and life skills.
It is also one of Colorado's most linguistically diverse districts, with families speaking more than 80 languages. Interpretation for IEP meetings is worth requesting when you schedule, not on the day.
Getting supports written down properly
Vague wording produces vague provision. "Adult support as needed" is not a plan; a named level of supervision, in named settings, is. Our Greeley autism resources guide covers the rest of the local system.
Ask for recess, transitions and arrival to be covered explicitly, because those are when problems most often happen and generic wording skips them. If elopement is a concern, get the supervision level stated specifically.
Colorado also requires transition planning to begin with the first IEP written when a student is 15, a year earlier than federal law. Ask about it before you think you need to.
How ABA fits with school
Budding Futures provides ABA in the home and inside school settings where the school grants access. We do the outreach; the building decides.
We are honest that some Colorado schools welcome an outside behavior analyst and some make it very difficult. What we can always do is assess, build the plan, and coach parents so the approach holds up across settings.
Rachel Blackburn, BCBA is our Clinical Director. Our RBTs complete 40 hours of training plus a competency assessment, with BCBA supervision at roughly 20%.
Frequently asked questions from parents
Q: Is there an autism school in Greeley?
A: Not a standalone one. Greeley-Evans District 6 runs center-based programs it describes as intensive autism, affective behavior and life skills, reachable through the special education office on 970-348-6103.
Q: How do I get my child evaluated by the school?
A: Through Child Find. For children birth to five, District 6 Child Find can be reached on 970-348-1050, or Beth Dick, the Child Find team lead, on 970-348-1052.
Q: What if we live outside Greeley proper?
A: Weld RE-4 covers Windsor, Severance and west Greeley; its Exceptional Student Services line is 970-686-8030. Several smaller Weld districts receive special education services through Centennial BOCES in Greeley on (970) 352-7404.
Q: Is an IEP the same as a medical diagnosis?
A: No. The district decides educational eligibility, which governs school services. A medical diagnosis is separate and is usually what insurance needs for therapy funding.
Q: Can an ABA therapist come into my child’s school?
A: Sometimes. Budding Futures provides ABA in school settings and we do the outreach, but the school decides whether to grant access. Some Colorado schools welcome it and some make it difficult.
More Greeley autism resources
Autism Resources in Greeley
The full Greeley guide: evaluations, District 6, waivers and support.
Who diagnoses autism near Greeley?
The real evaluation routes, including the free ones.
Autism parent support in Greeley
What actually exists locally, and what is statewide and virtual.
Sources
Greeley-Evans District 6 Child Find
Free evaluation, birth through age 5, with named Child Find contacts.
Greeley-Evans District 6 Special Education
District special education department, main line 970-348-6103.
Weld RE-4 Exceptional Student Services
Special education services for Windsor, Severance and west Greeley families.
Fighting for the right school supports?
Tell us what the school day looks like for your child. We can help you work out what to ask the district for.