At a Glance
A small, specialized program where individualized support for children with special needs is the entire point.
Best suited for
Families with young children who have special needs and are seeking a small, individualized setting with integrated classroom opportunities in Brooklyn.
What stands out
- Very small enrollment of 86 students means teachers can build close relationships with each child and family.
- Programs include integrated preschool classrooms, early intervention services, and a 1:1 instructional model in certain settings.
- Operated by United Cerebral Palsy of NYC, giving families access to a larger nonprofit network of disability services and supports.
- Extended-day offerings including an after-school program and summer day camp provide year-round structure.
- State-approved pre-K program and NYSED accreditation ensure the program meets formal quality benchmarks.
Things to consider
- This is a special education program, not a traditional private school — families typically arrive via an IEP recommendation from the CSE, and the listed tuition is generally covered by NYC DOE funding rather than paid out of pocket.
- The school only goes through fifth grade, so families will need a transition plan for older children.
- With just 9 full-time teachers across the entire school, the peer group is small — a meaningful consideration for parents weighing social development alongside academic and therapeutic goals.
- Public parent review data is limited, making it harder to gauge day-to-day family experience from outside sources.
Identity
UCP of NYC is a nonsectarian, coeducational combined program serving children with special needs from pre-K through fifth grade. Operated under the United Cerebral Palsy of New York umbrella, the school emphasizes individualized instruction, early intervention, and integrated preschool classrooms where children with and without disabilities learn side by side. Its small size and specialized mission set it apart from mainstream private schools.
Community
The student body reflects Brooklyn's diversity, with Black students making up the largest group at 39.5%, followed by Hispanic (26.7%), Asian (18.6%), and White (15.1%) students. The overall diversity index is high, suggesting families from a wide range of backgrounds find their way to this specialized program. Because students are admitted based on special education needs rather than a traditional application, the community tends to be defined more by shared experience with disability services than by any single demographic profile.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the Flatbush–Ditmas Park–Parkville area of Brooklyn, a neighborhood where median household income sits around $87,000 and just under half of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. About 15.6% of residents live below the poverty line, a rate that reflects the working- and middle-class mix of the surrounding blocks. It's a residential part of Brooklyn with tree-lined streets and easy access to other parts of the borough.
The F train at 18th Avenue is about a four-minute walk away, with Avenue I and Ditmas Avenue stations each about nine minutes on foot.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Insufficient parent reviews available to assess sentiment
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is UCP OF NYC, INC a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for UCP OF NYC, INC yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Flatbush (West)-Ditmas Park-Parkville.
- What grades does UCP OF NYC, INC serve?
- UCP OF NYC, INC serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into UCP OF NYC, INC?
- UCP OF NYC, INC runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is UCP OF NYC, INC public, charter, or private?
- UCP OF NYC, INC is a private school.
- What neighborhood is UCP OF NYC, INC in?
- UCP OF NYC, INC is in Flatbush (West)-Ditmas Park-Parkville, Brooklyn.