Pay for Success (PFS) financing has the potential to bring new resources to the social sector and to make those systems more effective by helping government, service providers, and funders focus on outcomes for children. As familiarity with PFS models has grown in the U.S., there is significant interest in using this model to support chronically underfunded investments in early childhood education, welfare, and health. Special education is another area where early investments in what works can help prevent larger costs of remedial services in the future, improving outcomes for children and their families. To this point, PFS projects that have considered special education have viewed special education services as an outcome to be avoided.

In this paper, we explore the goals of current PFS projects in their consideration of special education outcomes and also push the conversation to the next level: how can PFS be used to expand and improve services for young children with disabilities?