Free Essay Focusing on Early Childhood Education Program

Early Childhood Education

This program serves children with various educational needs which include children with special educational needs identified. These services offered to children with special needs are according to the Americans with Disability Act. Children get to actively participate in beneficial school activities based on creative Curriculum model. The program employs funding from tuition, the state, the Colorado Preschool Program, and the Federal Special Education Funds.

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The goal of the Moffat County School District's Early Childhood Program is to help every child develop a positive attitude towards learning, a positive self-image as well as to support children's education and social development. The program welcomes all family participation in all its aspects also all the services are usually in partnership with families.

The program serves children of ages two and a half years all through to five years as licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services and is available to the residents of Moffat County School District.

Attendance and Hours

The school calendar is followed even for those days indicated as breaks and holidays. The pre-school session is offered from Monday to Thursday every week. The pre-school session will not be available during summer hence it's a nine-month program.

Early Childhood Center main office hours are 7:15-3:45 from Monday to Friday. Children are then to attend preschool during any of the three preschool sessions;

Monday - Thursday 7:45-11:00 a.m. (morning)

Monday - Thursday 11:45-3:05 p.m. (afternoon)

Monday - Thursday 7:45-3:05 p.m. (full day)

Mission Statement

In partnership with the Craig community and families: to support as well as provide early childhood, comprehensive and high quality developmentally appropriate service that meets the educational, emotional/social as well as physical needs of all children which includes children with disabilities as well as their families.

Philosophy

Moffat County School District's Early Childhood program offers integrated services which deliver a foundation or base for lifelong learning as well as supporting the role that guardians/ parents play as partners in their children or child's educational advancement. Every classroom has children with varying needs, ages, strengths, as well as developmental levels and hence each child will be accepted and received warmly as an individual with unique interests and needs.

Curriculum

The Moffat County School District's Early Childhood program through our assessment, curriculum and instruction meet all the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Colorado Department of Education Academic Standards as well as the School Readiness Criteria. The creative curriculum guides practice as well as helping us to understand the main reasons for setting up internationally as well as using particular ways to operate preschool programs based on its five fundamental principles which include:

• Social-emotional competence is an important factor in school success.
• Teacher-family partnerships enhance learning as well as development.
• Purposeful, constructive play supports effective learning.
• Relationships and positive interactions with adults offer a critical base for successful learning.
• The physical environment affects the quality as well as the type of learning interactions.

In an effort to help children provide structure, organization as well as make choices, there are distinct interest areas in the classrooms. Some of these areas offered in these preschool classrooms include games and toys, water and sand, blocks, computers, dramatic play, movement and music, art, outdoors, discovery as well as the library. Each center is labeled clearly with both the pictures and the printed word. The materials in every center are labeled with print and pictures to help children replace and locate items. On a daily basis, children follow a consistent routine which includes: Read-Aloud, Large Group Meetings, Snack, Choice Time, Outdoor Time, as well as Small groups.

In educating appropriate behavior to young children, the program has adopted the Positive Behavior Support philosophy which is a systems approach that enables the capacity of schools to educate all students mostly those with challenging social behaviors through establishment of data utilization that guide decision making, clear outcomes associated with social behavior, supports and practices student success as well as systems that support staff effort.

Information about the program

Screening

The first step in the enrollment process in the school is the spring Health screening whereby all families and children participate in a screening before the early childhood education program. The screening includes dental screening, hearing or vision screening, parent interview, development play-based screening as well as a review of health and immunization history. The results of the screening are used in the determination of the need for a referral to the district's Child Find Team for additional assessment as well as in the determination of eligibility for CPP scholarships. The screenings are held every school year in the spring and fall.

Enrollment

Applications for preschool are accepted for the next school year which begins in February. Those applications that will be received by 15th May shall be reviewed as 75% of all the slots in the preschool will be offered by the end of May while the remaining slots will be filled two weeks later after the first day of preschool. Those children with the highest needs will be placed first in the program. On acceptance into the program, the student should complete the registration paperwork before the first day of preschool which must be completed by all students on file and an addition of their immunization records, a copy of birth certificate as well as a health form which is signed by a healthcare provider who is licensed.

The tuition fee for the half-day preschool program is $250 per month apart from the month of May and December which is half price. That of the afternoon portion of the full day when the family does not qualify for free or reduced meals is $150 per month but once the parent qualifies for reduced meals the price is $75 per month, if the family qualifies for free meals then the price is $0 per month. All the tuition is due on the 15th of each month.

Children with Special Needs

Specific modification, services as well as accommodations are offered for children with special needs as a team of specialists including family members determines. Any modifications, adaptations or accommodations that are needed are described in a child's individual education program and are to be provided by all preschool staff in the classroom as directed by the director or specialist. All the environmental, as well as physical accommodations, have to meet the child's individual education program specifications and the Americans with Disabilities Act rules and regulations.

Preschool Program Options

Those students who will be three years old by 31st August will be qualified to attend a half-day preschool program at the Early Childhood Center, East Elementary, or Sandrock Elementary. Those that will be four years in the same period will be qualified to attend the half-day preschool program at Sandrock Elementary, East Elementary or the Early Childhood Center. These students also have an alternative option of attending a full day preschool program at Ridgeview Elementary, East Elementary, Sunset Elementary or Sandrock Elementary.

Arrival and Departure

Caregivers/ Parents/ Guardian should bring their sons or daughters all the way into the classroom and ensure they signed in on the sign in/out the sheet and later as they pick their children to ensure they have signed out on the sheet. This is due to the safety of these children allowing communication between teachers and parents/guardians. The sign sheet ensures that the children are accounted for upon closing through checking physical space as well as all rooms and the sign sheets before the teachers and other staff leaves for the day.

Drop off time for both the full day and the morning half-day sessions is from 11:45-12: 00 pm and 7:45-8: 00 a.m. The preschool doors are always opened at 10:55 a.m in order for parents to pick their children from the morning session while for the full-day or afternoon sessions the doors are opened at 3:00 p.m. Those children who arrive at 8:00 a.m or 12: 00 p.m will be seen as tardy and excessive tardiness in both full-day and part day sessions may lose funded preschool spots or alternatively withdraw from the program.