INCLUSIONARY PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Journey Preschool has made a commitment to a fully inclusive program for children.  Full inclusion means educating children with disabilities within the regular education environment. Inclusion involves all teachers and therapists working together within the regular education environment to provide for the unique needs of all children.  Co-teaching, integrated therapies and collaboration are key concepts of an inclusive program.

CHILDREN SERVED

The inclusive classroom seeks to provide developmentally disabled children with opportunities to interact with their non-disabled peers in such a way as to promote maximum developmental growth.  The inclusive classroom has a morning session and an afternoon session.  A child may be recommended for placement in the inclusive classroom upon the completion of evaluation by the transdisciplinary team.  This must be agreed to be the Least Restrictive Placement for the child.  Placement may be on a temporary basis during the evaluation period, with permission of the parent.  The classroom environment is setup in a way to attempt to provide normalizing experiences in the areas of socialization, self-help, cognition, language, and motor development.  The inclusion of typical children is mutually beneficial to all persons, for it allows one to see and accept differences, learn to compromise, explore alternatives and to become more independent. The child with developmental disabilities may also receive individual instruction in areas of need, if this is deemed appropriate by the family and transdisciplinary team.