By AUBRIE GEORGE | The Marlton Telegram
Next school year, the Evesham K through 8 school district will implement a preschool inclusion program at Rice Elementary that will bring special needs and regular education students together in one classroom.
According to the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, Danielle Magulick, the program uses state-approved curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and based on best practice in early childhood education. Through the new program, the district aims to bring special needs students together with their peer students in a collaborative learning environment.
“The goal of this inclusion program is to bring together children with special needs with their typically developing peers in a collaborative classroom environment where students experience a variety of early reading and math concepts, language development, fine and gross motor skills, related arts and social skills,” Magulick said.
The program, slated to begin with the start of the 2010–11 school year, will take the form of two, half-day classes at Rice Elementary School. Each class will be made up of approximately fifteen, four-year old children — five of which are classified as having special needs and ten that are typically developing, Magulick said.
A morning and afternoon session will be held at the school for two-and-a-half hours per day. The program will be held four to five days a week based on the district’s predetermined preschool calendar, Magulick said.
In order to run the classes, the district will hire one certified teacher and two classroom assistants, Magulick said.
The costs to hire the necessary personnel as well as take on and the start-up fees for supplies associated with establishing a new classroom in the district will be covered by a grant from the federal government, Magulick said.
Magulick said the district is using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds that where awarded to the district in order to implement the program.
Parents who sign their children up to participate will pay a $3,000 fee for the school year, which includes costs for transportation, district officials said.
Magulick said the district currently offers a preschool inclusion program at an off-site location, but will hold the program in-district for the first time next year. The switch, she said, holds multiple benefits.
“By moving this program in-district, it is more inclusive in terms of integrating with other preschool students in town, as well being more cost effective in the long-run,” Magulick said “The ARRA funds make this an ideal year to implement this program in-district.”
Those who applied for the program will be notified of classroom placement by April 21, district officials said. The district will continue to accept applications moving forward and those who apply will be notified on a case-by-case basis.
For more information and to download an application, residents can visit the school district’s Web site, www.evesham.k12.nj.us.
