Non-Educational Community-Based Support Services (Non-Ed) funds provide assistance to support families of students with disabilities who are at risk of being placed in a residential facility primarily for educational purposes. Non-Ed funds may also be used to support the family when a student with disabilities placed in a residential facility primarily for educational purposes returns from the residential facility. Non-Ed funds are intended to help families care for their children with severe disabilities and enable the families to better cope with having a child with a disability at home.

Services provided with Non-Ed funds must be non-educational in nature and must not be used for services that are paid with educational funds. Additionally, services provided with Non-Ed funds are not intended to be intensive or long-term but rather, periodic and short-term.

Parents wishing to access Non-Ed services may contact their child's school and request a meeting to discuss the need for Non-Ed services.

Non-Ed funds are optional for an LEA (ISD or Open-Enrollment Charter School). If an LEA chooses to apply for Non-Ed funds, the Non-Ed application must be submitted to ESC 5 by the deadline established by ESC 5.