Like many milestones in NECC’s evolution, the Consulting & Public School Services Division (PSS) grew from a simple but urgent need: ensuring children with autism receive effective support in their home communities. What began as a transition service for NECC students has since become a multi-faceted division helping school districts across New England — and beyond — build inclusive, effective educational programs. 

According to Amy Geckeler, MS, BCBA, NECC’s chief operating officer and executive director of PSS, the foundation of today’s Partner Classrooms traces back to NECC’s early transition services. Those programs supported students as they gradually returned home and to their local schools, with the goal of increasing meaningful inclusion. 

A pivotal moment came when two siblings thrived during their NECC-supported transition. Their district’s special education director, impressed by the results, approached NECC with a request: instead of transporting young children long distances, could NECC bring its services into the local public school? 

That question sparked collaboration across the agency. Bill Holcomb, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA, worked with NECC teams to design a classroom model that embedded NECC-trained staff and systems directly within a district setting. The result was NECC’s first Partner Classroom, opened in Ashburnham in 1999 with a NECC teacher and BCBA.

“We weren’t trying to launch a new service,” Geckeler said. “We were just trying to help students and a district — and it worked.” 

For five years, the Ashburnham classroom stood alone while PSS continued providing consultation to other districts. Over time, demand grew for a more intensive, full-time model — one that Partner Classrooms were uniquely positioned to deliver. Today, PSS operates 66 Partner Classrooms serving 380 students across four states. 

Expanding Beyond Massachusetts 

PSS now provides consultation to more than 950 students nationwide, with an additional 130 served through the Gulf Consulting Division. NECC’s consulting work has also been the foundation of its international reach. 

Much of this expansion has been organic, driven by staff expertise and district need. One early example came in New Hampshire, where Christine Morse, PhD, BCBA, LABA, then an NECC consultant, helped launch the first out-of-state Partner Classroom. Over the next 15 years, she played a key role in establishing 22 classrooms across the state. 

“Students who once had few options are now able to stay in their districts and be part of their school communities,” said Dr. Morse, now senior director of PSS. “It’s changed outcomes for children — and the culture of public schools.” 

Similar growth followed in Maine and other regions, often initiated by NECC staff alumni working in public districts. More recently, Dr. Morse has also led the re-establishment of NECC’s early intensive behavior intervention program for children under age three, extending PSS’s reach even earlier in development. 

For June Kivi, MSEd, BCBA, LABA, senior director of operations for PSS, the impact is deeply personal. 

“Over the past 28 years, we’ve been able to bring NECC’s services to hundreds of children across New England,” she said. “Being able to reach that many families and make that kind of difference — that’s what I’m most proud of.”

This article originally appeared in the 50th Anniversary edition of Insight.