Our children participate in a variety of developmentally appropriate educational activities during the school day. Prekindergarten children are active learners. They discover their world by direct experiences. Within our classrooms, the children are provided with opportunities to:
The identification process is initiated through a referral from Early Steps or by contacting the Child Find specialist at (305) 274-3501. Your child will be given a screening evaluation to determine if further testing is needed. If needed, the other evaluations will include: hearing, vision, speech/language, psychological, and educational.
After the evaluation is completed, the parent or guardian will be contacted by the Prekindergarten Staffing Specialist to attend a staffing conference to discuss the results of the evaluation, determine eligibility for services, and placement.
If it is determined at the staffing conference that your child does need specially designed instruction in the Prekindergarten Program for Children with Disabilities, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be written which will include educational goals to be carried out during the school day along with any relevant educationally related therapies. A program placement and school will be assigned during the development of the IEP. However, the parent must register the child at the designated school before he/she can access services or attend classes.
In order to regsiter to access services with a school. The parent must provide the following documents to the designated school:
In our classrooms, a certified teacher works with prekindergarten children with the following disabilities:
provides a rich foundation while promoting independence, decision making, cooperation, creativity, and problem solving in young children.
is a comprehensive social and emotional intelligence program that empowers both teachers and students.
is a comprehensive program that teaches foundational communication skills, and builds vocabulary, word awareness, and concepts of print through shared reading and shared writing activities.
Autism curriculum with a focus on inclusion, peer-mediated intervention, and evidence based data driven decision making.
There are multiple elements to our curriculum including: a focus on developmentally appropriate practices, brain based social skills development, early literacy development, as well as specialized instructional approaches utilized in our settings for children with Autism or Intellectual Disabilities. To learn more about the different components of the curriculum utilized in our classrooms, follow the link below.
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Children in need of speech/language therapy as a related service must first be identified as a student with a disability who is receiving special education services. A speech/language pathologist supports the classroom communication goals of the special education student. The type, frequency, duration, and approprite service delivery model is determined by the IEP team which must include a speech/language pathologist.
Children are in need of occupational therapy when the school therapist indicates a need for treatment to support special education services. Special exercises improve feeding and dressing skills, muscle strength, coordination, and work/play skills. The therapist can provide a home activity program to reinforce skills targeted in school if requested.
Children are in need of physical therapy when their physician and school therapist indicate a need for treatment to support special educaiton services. Through special exercises, physical therapists work on improving muscles to enhance total motor development. Activities may include: wheelchair mobility, improving walking skills, balancing and strengthening exercises, and activities for improving posture. The therapist can provide a home activity program to reinforce skills targeted in school if requested.
Visually impaired children are eligible for orientation and mobility services upon an evaluation and assessment by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Specialist in Orientation and Mobility Services. Individual independent travel training is provided for each child as appropriate. The basic goal of this instructional program is safe mobility within the child's environment.
Visually impaired children are in need of itinerant vision services when they are placed in an instructional setting that is taught by an educator whose certification does not include visually impaired. The itinerant vision teacher will visit the classroom and provide strategies, adaptations, and modifications that assist the child with accessing his or her education within the instructional environment.
Children who are identified as deaf/hard of hearing are in need of itinerant hearing services when they are placed in an instructional setting that is taught by an educator whose certification does not include deaf/hard of hearing. The itinerant hearing teacher will visit the classroom and provide strategies, adaptations, and modifications that assist the child with accessing his or her education within the instructional environment.
are just some of the topics covered in the Spring issue. You will also learn about our parent workshops, communication strategies, and VPK opportunities.
as well as brain development and family friendly places to visit around Miami (on a budget) are some of the topics covered in the Winter issue.
registration deadlines for VPK, and tips for a stress-free Winter Break are some of the topics in this month’s newsletter. Also, check out our Communication Corner for a Holiday BINGO game!
information on the Children’s Trust Family Expo, and a flyer for “Sensory Saturdays” at Miami Children’s Museum can be found in this month’s newsletter. Our Communication Corner also features some tips on how to help children use words to describe their emotions.
shaping appropriate behavior and communication skills, and ideas/tips for summer camp. Click on the link to access the Children’s Trust website for summer ideas!
Back To School resources, and suggestions for making the transition smooth are featured in this newsletter. Check out the Communication Corner for tips on building communication skills and preparing kids for the transition back to school.
important skills for adults to have when fostering communication skills in young children, and information from our guest columnist representing the Head Start program are all in this newsletter. Also, we are celebrating Better Hearing and Speech Month!
have been brought together at the Prekindergarten Program for Children with Disabilities to assist families of PreK aged children to access the services they will need to help meet their child's special needs .
Our director, supervisor, staffing specialists, social workers, speech and language pathologists, autism support specialists, multiply impaired specialists, teachers, paraprofessionals, and clerks all work together to make the transition into Miami-Dade County Public Schools
(305) 271-5701
adrianamartinez@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
BMonico@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
mleyva@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
DDeCario@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
LSeminario@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
SRadQuintana@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
YvonneTillan-Martinez@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
RaquelLeon@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
credero-gonzalez@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
jasminegomez-avila@dadeschools.net
(305) 271-5701
BecquerP@dadeschools.net
is provided by the PreKindergarten Program for Children with Disabilities. Families, who understand their child's disability, are aware of community resources available to them, and understand their child's educational program, will be better prepared to incorporate this information in daily living. More information is available through the family resources page.
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We wanted to thank you profusely for our meeting today! We came in a bit tense and lost and you managed the meeting with the most respect, warmth and helpfulness that we have ever experienced.
Thank you so much for your words, warmth and help during today and pledge for the future! We could not ask for better people to help guide what is most precious for us, our son!
PreK ESE gave my son the tools needed to grow and be successful academically, emotionally and socially. His team has always had his best interest in mind and was great at communicating with us. They have prepared him for Kindergarten and I have no doubt that he will do well. We are forever grateful to all who have played a roll in his education because of all the support, guidance and love he will do great for years to come.
My daughter attended VPK in an inclusion classroom. The teachers are an amazing team. They are caring, nurturing, and teach lessons through play. This is a wonderful program and I am very happy my daughter was able to attend.
My son comes home telling us about all the amazing things he learned and did at school and wants to continue learning even after school has ended!... I also wanted to let you all know that each teacher [Ms. Muniz, Lupe, Ms. Samole, Ms. Pazos, and Ms. Smith from Dr. Edward L. Whigham Elementary School] mentioned above, is amazingly precious!! They all have gone above and beyond to not only help my son but all their students!
