Describes how special education services are provided.

Service Models

• Push-in: Special educator or therapist provide services through integrated therapy services within the daily schedule.
• Consultative: Service delivery provided by general educator with periodic consultation from special educator and/or therapist.
• Pull-out: Service delivery provided by special educator or therapist outside of the classroom

A range of activities and environments that eliminate the physical, social and instructional barriers to learning (DEC, NAEYC 2009).

Universal Design for Learning
• Flexible instructional approaches that guide developing instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessment for all learners provide multiple ways to engage children, present information and determine learning (CAST 2011).

Assistive Technology
• Any piece of equipment, or product system, acquired commercially, modified, or customized, used to maintain, increase, or improve functional capabilities of persons with disabilities, except medical devices surgically implanted. (IDEA 2004).

Adaptations
• Planned interventions/modifications to ongoing classroom activity or materials to maximize children's participation.

Intentional multi-tiered instructional strategies that increase a child's engagement, participation and learning (DEC, NAEYC 2009).

Embedded Instruction
• Strategies that address individual learning goals within the context of ongoing routines, activities and transitions.

Scaffolding
• Used with children who require more intensive supports by providing targeted approaches to move children progressively toward skill development, e.g. modeling, response prompting, corrective feedback, peer supports.

Tiered Levels of Instruction
• An approach to provide adult instructional supports that requires screening and ongoing assessment to determine impact of teaching/learning and adjustment of instruction.

Membership
• The intentional social supports/teaching that creates a classroom community of belonging for each child and facilitates positive relationships of respect, acceptance and friendship.

Strategies in place that including professional development, opportunities for collaboration and communication among families and practitioners to support high quality inclusion (DEC, NAYEC 2009).

• Teaching and learning activities that support inclusion and facilitate acquisition and application of professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions (NPDCI, 2011)

• Opportunities for relationship building between families and practitioners support the achievement of mutually agreed upon goals (NPDCI, 2011).

• Approaches to support ongoing communication and collaboration include technical assistance, consultation, coaching, mentoring, collaborative problem-solving, and communities of practice/professional learning communities (NPDCI, 2011).
  • The program director, special needs coordinator, and teachers all get together one afternoon a week to update all of the children's information and plan their collaborative efforts.

Funding Sources

• On My Way PreK: State monetary grant awarded to eligible low-income families of 4 year old children.