Aspire Acquires Vermont Special Education Programs

Families using these early childhood, school-based and therapeutic services should see the same programs and teams continue after the change.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Special Education

Wide photograph of a brick-and-clapboard schoolhouse surrounded by green Vermont hills and maple trees under overcast daylight, with an empty play yard in the foreground. — Aspire Living & Learning has acquired Vermont special-education provider SD Associates, with four of its early childhood and school-based programs continuing under the new organization. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Aspire Living & Learning has acquired SD Associates, a Vermont provider of early childhood, school-based, vocational and therapeutic school services, and four of its programs have joined Aspire. SD Associates' leadership and staff are now part of the organization, and financial terms were not released.

Why it matters

The acquisition is intended to protect educational and behavioral services already reaching families across Vermont, where nearly one in five students now has an Individualized Education Program (IEP). For households relying on these services, the goal is continuity rather than a change in the programs themselves.

Vermont students with an IEP reached roughly 1 in 5 in 2023-24, ranking seventh in the nation, even as overall enrollment declined 6.4% since 2018-19. The four acquired programs include Sparklers early childhood ABA services in northern Vermont, school-based teams in Northern and Central Vermont schools, Alpine vocational programming, and a year-round therapeutic school in southern Vermont.

The players

Aspire Living & Learning

A Vermont-founded provider with 45 years of history that supports individuals with disabilities and educational needs across the state.

SD Associates

A Vermont provider of early childhood, school-based, vocational and therapeutic school services whose programs are now part of Aspire.

The details

Aspire Living & Learning took over SD Associates, bringing its leadership and staff into the organization, and the acquired programs and teams will remain in place. Aspire will add support in the form of clinical expertise, workforce resources, and quality and safety resources. The programs serve different stages of life, from early childhood ABA and school-based teams placed inside public schools to vocational and life skills training for teens and adults and a therapeutic school operating year-round.

November 2, 2026: Aspire announced the acquisition of SD Associates.
2018-19 to 2023-24: Vermont enrollment declined while the IEP share increased.
2023-24: Nearly one in five Vermont students had an IEP.

The Home Front

Vermont's ranking seventh nationally for share of students with IEPs shows special education needs are a significant part of the state's school population. Consolidation among providers like this acquisition may shape which services remain available to families across the state's communities.

If your child receives school-based or early childhood ABA services in Vermont, ask your current provider or school team whether anything changes in staffing or scheduling after the acquisition. Keep copies of your child's current IEP and service agreements so you can verify that supports remain in place.

The takeaway

With nearly one in five Vermont students now holding an IEP, continuity of service matters for many families. Keep your child's IEP documents on file and confirm any provider changes in writing with your school team.