Preschool

Preschool Disabilities Program

This program is designed to meet the needs of students ages three and four with disabilities. Learning is viewed as an interactive process between the child, his or her peers, staff and a developmentally appropriate environment. The curriculum is developmentally based and focuses on the growth of the total child. Language-based interventions are infused in all activities throughout the school day. Each classroom is staffed with a teacher of the handicapped and at least one paraprofessional. Two paraprofessionals are assigned when there are nine to twelve
students in a class.

Students who participate in this program receive instruction in all curriculum areas in a self-contained classroom that provides a rich learning environment and a daily routine that allows for student success. Physical education is provided twice per week. Students are also given many opportunities for gross motor play throughout the week. A special education teacher delivers the instruction based on the NJ State Department of Education Early Childhood Education Program Expectations: Standards of Quality and the goals and objectives in the student's Individual Education Program (IEP).

The educational program provides an integrated approach to learning that utilizes support and related services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling and physical education to provide a broad range of opportunities for each child. Carefully planned field trips and assemblies support the educational program.

All services are IEP driven. Emphasis is placed on the child as an individual and as a member of a group. Experiences in learning, as defined by the IEP, encompass academic as well as the social components. Curricula support appropriate decision making and the acceptance of natural consequences.