What Bi-County Special Education Cooperative does

Bi-County Special Education Cooperative is a not-for-profit cooperative formed in Illinois on July 1, 1969 to deliver mandated special education services to member public school districts in the Whiteside County region under Section 14.7 of the Illinois School Code. The cooperative is the designated vehicle for 11 member districts — Erie, River Bend, Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico, Sterling, Morrison, Rock Falls Elementary, East Coloma-Nelson, Montmorency, Rock Falls Township High School, Eastland, and Chadwick-Milledgeville — to satisfy the state's requirement that districts provide 14 categories of special education services. The organization operates Life Skills Classrooms across multiple member district schools for K-12 students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, Thome School (Thome ED School) for students with severe emotional challenges, and Related Services including psychological, social work, nursing, physical/occupational/speech therapy, vision and hearing supports, autism/low incidence support, and BCBA services. It also runs the Bi-County Special Olympics program in partnership with Special Olympics of Illinois.

The cooperative's technology footprint is modest: a web-based platform built around Google Workspace (Google Drive for staff resources, Google Sheets for staff email listings, Google Translate for website accessibility) and OutreachTime's EMBRACE IEP for Individualized Education Program compliance tracking. There is no proprietary software product, mobile app, or developer-facing API. Governance is provided by an Executive Board composed of member district superintendents, and the organization also partners with the Northwestern Illinois Association (N.I.A.) and multiple referral/resource organizations including Easterseals, Florissa, and GiGi's Playhouse.

Bi-County's business model is not commercial. Revenue is funded through member district contributions and state and federal education allocations, including IDEA and Illinois state special education funds. Pricing is not publicly disclosed because services are publicly funded and statutory. There is no parent company, no private equity or venture capital involvement, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds or M&A activity. Customer concentration is total — all 11 named customers are small public school districts in a single Illinois region.

Name

Bi-County Special Education Cooperative

Legal name

Bi-County Special Education Cooperative

Website

https://bi-county.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bi-County Special Education Cooperative is a not-for-profit Illinois cooperative delivering mandated special education services under Section 14.7 of the Illinois School Code to 11 member public school districts in the Whiteside County region through Life Skills classrooms, Thome School, and related therapy services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Cooperative Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialized Instruction & Resource Support (Inclusion, Pull-Out, Co-Teaching) (EDAJAKAC), Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Special education services
• School district cooperative
• Low incidence programs
• Related services support
• Special education classroom programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sterling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Member District Contributions: Funding from member school districts for special education services provided, consistent with cooperative operational model established in 1969
2. State and Federal Education Funding: Increased financial support from state and local education agencies for special education programs, including IDEA and state special education allocations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Bi-County Special Education Cooperative is a not-for-profit intergovernmental cooperative that delivers mandated special education services to member school districts under Section 14.7 of the Illinois School Code. Its core offerings include Life Skills Classrooms for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, the Thome School for students with severe emotional challenges, a comprehensive set of Related Services (psychology, social work, nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy, vision and hearing supports, transition, autism and BCBA services), and the Bi-County Special Olympics athletic program.

Product overview

Bi-County Special Education Cooperative is a K-12 special education service provider operating as a single unified program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The cooperative offers Life Skills Classrooms for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities across multiple member district schools, Thome School for students with severe emotional challenges, and Related Services including psychological, social work, nursing, therapy (physical, occupational, speech), vision, hearing, transition, and autism support services. The cooperative also runs Bi-County Special Olympics athletic programs. These services are provided in coordination with 13 member school districts in the Whiteside County, Illinois area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thome School: A K-12 school that provides special education services for children who experience difficulty in their home schools due to severe emotional challenges.
• Thome ED School

Products and services

• Life Skills Classrooms K-12 classrooms educating students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities, providing specialized instruction based on individual needs with emphasis on functional academics, daily living, self-care, communication, self-advocacy, and vocational skills. Life Skills classrooms operate at multiple member district schools across Rock Falls and Morrison, serving students from kindergarten through high school.
• Thome School K-12 school providing special education services for children who experience difficulty in their home schools due to severe emotional challenges, with the goal of returning students to their home schools with both academic and socially appropriate behaviors. Located at 500 East Fifth Street, Rock Falls.
• Related Services Comprehensive support services including psychological services, social work, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, deaf/hard of hearing services, vision impaired services, transition services, audiology, orientation and mobility, autism/low incidence support, and BCBA services, provided to students of member districts.
• Bi-County Special Olympics Special Olympics program offered to students age 8 and older, featuring bowling (June-August), basketball skills (November-January), and track and field skills (April-May), with regional and state competition opportunities for qualifying athletes.

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Special Olympics of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBi-County Special Olympics offers bowling, basketball skills, and track and field skills programs to students age 8 and older. Regional and state competition opportunities are provided to qualifying athletes. This partnership provides athletic programming for students with intellectual disabilities.
• EastersealsminorOthersReferenced as a resource for families providing child development centers, physical rehabilitation, and job training services for people with disabilities
• FlorissaminorOthersPediatric developmental center in Dixon providing evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for children with developmental, behavioral, social or emotional needs
• GiGi's PlayhouseminorOthersDown syndrome achievement center providing free programs for individuals of all ages with Down syndrome, referenced as a resource for families
• Northwestern Illinois Association (N.I.A.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Special Education Cooperative serving children with special needs ages birth-21 years in 10 northwestern Illinois counties. Bi-County works with N.I.A. to develop comprehensive services for children with special needs.
• Regional Office of Education #47minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember district representing regional educational services in Whiteside County area
• Carroll County Regional Office of Education #8minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional educational services partner serving Carroll County area

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: National nonprofit providing disability services including special education support, rehabilitation, and job training. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the disability services ecosystem and listed as a Bi-County referral/resource partner.
• The Arc of the United States: National nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through advocacy, programs, and family support. Comparable as a broader incumbent serving overlapping populations in special education and disability services.

Direct peers

• Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED): Cooperative serving northern suburban Chicago districts with specialized classrooms, related services, and transition programs. Comparable as a regional Illinois special education cooperative with member-district funding model.
• School Association for Special Education in DuPage County (SASED): Special education cooperative providing low-incidence programs, related services, and specialized facilities to DuPage County member districts — direct functional peer in structure, service mix, and funding model.
• Northwestern Illinois Association (N.I.A.): Regional special education cooperative serving children with special needs ages birth–21 across 10 northwestern Illinois counties. Operates under the same Illinois cooperative framework as Bi-County and is a direct functional peer — and existing Bi-County partner — providing low-incidence special education programs at scale.
• Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO): Special education cooperative serving suburban Chicago districts with low-incidence classrooms, related services, and specialized schools — a direct functional peer in cooperative form, service portfolio, and K-12 special education focus.
• Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL): Illinois special education cooperative providing specialized programs, related services, and transition programming to member districts in Lake County. Closely comparable in cooperative structure, mandate-driven service mix, and reliance on IDEA/state funding.

Emerging players

• GiGi's Playhouse: Network of Down syndrome achievement centers providing free educational, therapeutic, and career development programs. Comparable as a nonprofit disability services provider referenced as a Bi-County family resource.

Others

• Special Olympics of Illinois: State-level affiliate providing year-round athletic training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Comparable as a community-program partner delivering supplemental programming through Bi-County's Special Olympics.
• OutreachTime (EMBRACE IEP): IEP management and compliance software used by Bi-County for special education documentation. Comparable as a technology/integration vendor enabling service delivery for cooperatives of Bi-County's profile.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bi-county-special-educatn-coop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bi-County Special Education Cooperative