Our classroom will provide a stimulating learning environment for children, parents and staff, with the goals of nurturing and celebrating the uniqueness of every child. We are a resource for guidance and support in the development of each child's potential. EEE/Y's Time Preschool
The South Burlington Essential Early Education program is designed to provide educational programs for preschool children with special needs. The programming is divided into two parts, one to serve children from the ages of zero to three years and another for three to five year olds. The children who receive services vary greatly in type and severity of need. Any child residing in South Burlington can become eligible to receive services. Funds to pay for our services come from a variety of sources which change from year to year. All services are free of charge to parents. Children are referred to us from many sources. Parents, doctors, school personnel and our own screening process are a few examples. The State of Vermont has regulations to determine who qualifies for EEE services based on evaluation results. Generally, the child is screened to determine if the child's skills are within the normal range for a child his/her age or if the child is in need of our services. If delay in development is apparent, then a more complete evaluation would be recommended. The areas of development that are generally looked at are speech, language, learning /cognition, motor and social/behavior. The South Burlington EEE program is administered by the Director of Student Support Services of the South Burlington School District. The staff is comprised of a Special Education Teacher with an Early childhood development background and a Speech Language Pathologist. When needed, consultation is obtained from the South Burlington School District Psychologist, a Physical Therapist, an Occupational Therapist and from community agencies. There are three basic components of service for our children. The first is our Preschool Class. We are currently in a collaborative program with the YMCA . Our class is comprised with half EEE students and half YMCA children. The class currently meets five mornings a week. We also have an afternoon class for EEE children coupled with two to three "peer models" or children who do not have any developmental delays. Children selected for the preschool class typically need intervention in more than one area of development (speech, language, motor, learning, social). We promote play to teach age-appropriate skills. The school district will provide transportation for the children. The second component of our EEE program is referred to as Outreach or Home Based Service. This service is for children with one area of concern (speech, language, motor, learning or social) who are enrolled in a community preschool, day care program or are at home. Individual Therapy and Parent Education are offered to the child in one of these environments. A second type of Outreach is for those children enrolled in the EEE class. They receive a Home Visit once a month by either the Special Education Teacher or the Speech Pathologist who works with the child. During this time, parents are able to ask questions concerning their child and his/her needs and to have therapy techniques demonstrated . A third example of our Outreach services is to provide consultations regarding a child's needs to any other agency involved with a South Burlington preschooler. A final example of Outreach is the general developmental screening provided in June of each year for all 3-5 year olds in South Burlington. This screening covers learning, motor, speech, language and hearing. Any parent from South Burlington can make an appointment to come in and have their child tested to determine how their child is developing compared to other children the same age. The third component of our program is the Infant/Toddler Home Based program. Children do not enter our preschool program until they are three, but they are eligible for the District's Infant/Toddler services if, after testing, they exhibit delays in their skills. The frequency of the home visits or the nature of the service varies a great deal depending on the individual needs of each family and child. This program is a family oriented service which is designed to support the family, as well as, focus on the child who is zero to three years old. Our preschool class and offices are located at the Chamberlin School, 262 White Street, South Burlington, Vermont 05403. Our phone number is 652-7427 or 652-7431.
ESSENTIAL EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAM MANUAL Table of Contents I. South Burlington School District Support Services for children aged birth to 3
II. South
Burlington School District Support Services for children
age
Child Find for the EEE Program Vermont State Regulations EEE Eligibility Criteria III. Transition of Children from Essential Early Education Program into Kindergarten
IV. Mission Statement of "Y’s" Time/ EEE Program V. Essential Early Education Curriculum
The Infant/Toddler Home Based program is for children who are eligible for the District's Infant/Toddler services if, after testing, they exhibit delays in their skills. The infant/toddler program’s focus is to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, minimize their potential for developmental delay and enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers with disabilities. The frequency of the home visits or the nature of the service varies a great deal depending on the individual needs of each family and child. This program is a family oriented service designed to support the family and focus on the child who is birth to three years old. Transition of Children from Family, Infant, Toddler Project of Vermont to Essential Early Education Program: The program which serves the 0-3 year population (The Family, Infant Toddler Project of Vermont) and the program which serves the 3-5 year population (The Essential Early Education Program) are administered together by the South Burlington School District. Because of this joint administration, there is regular communication between the staff persons concerning the children on both caseloads. Six months before a child turns 3 years of age, the FITP person notifies the EEE staff of the upcoming birthday. Meetings between parents and the staff of both programs occur at this time and descriptions of services, resources and the needs of the child are discussed. It is the goal of the South Burlington School District to facilitate a smooth transition between the two programs for the child and his/her parents. Because the guidelines of the Family, Infant, Toddler Project of Vermont (0-3) are different from the guidelines that shape the Essential Early Education Programs of Vermont (0-5), often additional information and testing are needed to be obtained before decisions about programming can be made by the EEE staff. The parents and the staff of both programs work together to ensure the child is supported during this time, progress by the child is maintained, and the transition into the EEE program is smooth. The South Burlington School District will provide appropriate support and services to students with disabilities ages three and up as agreed upon by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) Team and as required by the State of Vermont Education Regulations. Vermont State Regulations
General Description of Essential Early Education Program The South Burlington Essential Early Education program is designed to provide educational programs for preschool children with special needs. The programming is divided into two main parts, one to serve children from the ages of birth to three years and another for three to five year olds. The children who receive services vary greatly in type and severity of need. Funds to pay for services come from a variety of sources, which change from year to year. All services are free of charge to parents. Children are referred to EEE from many sources. Parents, doctors, school personnel and the EEE’s own screening process are a few examples. The State of Vermont has regulations determining who can qualify for EEE services based on evaluation results. Generally, the procedure to find out if a child needs services is for the child to be screened first to determine if their skills are within the normal range for his/her age. If some delay in development is apparent, then a more complete evaluation would be recommended. The areas of development that are generally looked at are speech, language, learning /cognition, motor and social/behavior. The Director of Student Support Services of the South Burlington School District administers the EEE program. The staff is comprised of a Special Education Teacher with an early childhood development background and a Speech Language Pathologist. When necessary and depending on the child’s needs, consultation is obtained from the South Burlington School District Psychologist, private Physical or Occupational Therapists and from other community agencies. Child Find in the EEE Program: Referrals from parents, doctors, teachers or other concerned professionals are received throughout the year by the EEE staff. These referrals are about children who might be delayed in their normal development in one of the following areas of skill: Cognition/Learning, Speech/Language, Motor, and Social/ Behavior. During the academic year, a professional staff person screens these children at the time of the referral. Referrals made in the summer months are processed in September of that year. Children birth to three years of age can be referred and screened during all 12 months of the year. In June of each year, 3 to 4 Child Find Days are devoted to screening any child who lives in South Burlington and who is between the ages of 2 ½ years to 4 ½ years old. In order for parents of children in this age group to learn of this opportunity, the EEE program sends postcards to all families. In addition, advertisements are placed in the newspaper; posters are hung in pediatricians’ offices and preschools/ daycare centers as well as businesses such as grocery stores or the mall. The actual screening experience involves a parent interview, which gathers information about the child and a Play Based screening which checks the skill areas of motor, speech, language and academic learning. In addition, a nurse is available to do a vision and hearing screening. If a child appears to be delayed in a skill area, they are seen at a later date for more extensive testing by an EEE professional. Service Coordination and Support Services for Children Ages 3.0 to 5.11 Years Essential Early Education services are available for children 3.0 – 5.11 years who have been determined eligible for special education services. EEE services ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education designed to meet a child’s unique needs in a least restrictive environment. There are two designs of service for children ages 3 to 5.11 years. The first is the Y’sTime/EEE Preschool Class. This program is run in collaboration with the YMCA. The class is composed of 8 EEE special needs children and 8 YMCA community children and currently meets five mornings a week. In addition, there is an afternoon class for only EEE children coupled and two to three "peer models". Children selected for the preschool class typically need intervention in more than one area of development (speech, language, motor, learning, social). We promote play to teach age appropriate skills. The school district when necessary can provide transportation on a special small bus with a bus aide to help with the young children. The second component of the EEE program is referred to as Outreach or Home Based Service. This service is for children who qualify for special education in one area of development. These children can be enrolled in a community preschool, day care program or be at home. Individual Therapy and Parent Education are offered to the child in one of these environments. Another example of Outreach services is to provide consultation regarding a child's needs to any other agency involved with a South Burlington preschooler. Outreach also provides a general developmental screening in June of each year for all 3-5 year olds in South Burlington. This screening covers learning, motor, speech, language and hearing. Throughout the year, if a concern arises, any parent from South Burlington can make an appointment to come in and have their child screened so that they can learn how their child is developing in these areas as compared to other children the same age. Our preschool class and offices are located at the Chamberlin School, 262 White Street, South Burlington, Vermont 05403. Our phone number is 652-7427 or 652-7431.The website can be accessed at http://districtsbschools.net/eee
This is a summary of the steps the South Burlington School District follows to help children make a smooth transition from the EEE program to the kindergarten in their neighborhood school. FALL
WINTER
SPRING
FOLLOWING FALL
Attending Behaviors Date Date Date
Questions or Problems Contact Dot Aitken Last updated on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 |