EXPANDING HORIZONS PRESCHOOL
780 South Guardsman Way
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
(801) 883-5335

Mission Statement

The Expanding Horizons program strives to provide an outstanding inclusive early childhood program for children, with and without special needs.  The environment and curriculum are based on research and the developmentally appropriate practice guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Our goal is to enhance and enrich the lives of everyone involved in the program.

Available Programs
All preschool programs are available Monday through Thursday.  Families may choose any two, three or four available days. 

 Program             Ages                                       Times

Morning              18 months-3 years           8:45-11:15 a.m.

Morning              3-5 years                         8:15-11:15 a.m.

Afternoon           3-5 years                         12:30-3:30 p.m.

Dates
Expanding Horizon’s schedule runs for 13 weeks in Fall Quarter, 11 weeks in Winter Quarter and nine weeks in Spring Quarter.  The preschool begins in September.  A full schedule of the quarters, days the program is closed and special events will be sent to families in summer in the acceptance packet and will also be available at the Family Orientation and Open House. Please click here for tuition rates.
 

Applications
To apply, please complete the application and return it as indicated on the form.  If you have any questions, please contact Michele at (801) 883-5335.  This program promotes research opportunities for various mental health personnel, University personnel and students, professionals studying early childhood and professionals studying children with disabilities and their families.  The program runs in conjunction with Valley Mental Health’s Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism.  Expanding Horizons was established in 1988 so that children with disabilities could be integrated in a typical preschool environment with children without disabilities.  Children with autism and related disabilities are included in our preschool classrooms.  This inclusive philosophy benefits all children involved and is a unique and innovative model that allows horizons to be “expanded” in many ways. 
 

Creative Curriculum
The Expanding Horizon’s setting and curriculum is based on Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP).  DAP guidelines are set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  These guidelines and recommendations are based on years of research and what is known about early childhood education.

Decisions about the program, curriculum, teacher and child interactions, teacher to child ratio, teacher education and parent and school collaboration, are all based on what is known about child development, what is known about the individual children in the class, and what is known about the society and culture in which children are included.  Our philosophy also emphasizes social skills and problem solving, a cooperative atmosphere in the classroom in which children feel part of a community, an awareness of self and others, building self confidence through independence, and building self esteem through problem solving.

The curriculum at EHP also incorporates the Creative Curriculum model.  Through active involvement with their environment, children attempt to make sense of the world around them.  Children learn by doing, by observing and by engaging in a stimulating learning environment that is enjoyable and motivating to children.  The areas targeted are:

          ·         Social-emotional development

·         Language and cognitive development

·         Visual and fine motor development

·         Gross motor and body awareness

These areas are assessed throughout the year and a portfolio, a collection of the child’s work, is developed for every child.  This helps to document the child’s progress and facilitates planning for each child.  In addition, we have a parent/teacher meeting twice a year and also ask parents for updates on their children each quarter.

Inclusion
Expanding Horizons is an innovative preschool model that utilizes the concept of inclusion.  Integrating typically developing children and children with disabilities promotes acceptance, understanding, empathy and respect for differences.  The preschool child:

·       Learns to accept children who may somehow be different from him/herself

·       Learns to adjust to meet the needs of others

·       Realizes the commonalities he or she may have with the integrated child

·       Gains an opportunity to be with peers his or her own age that provide age appropriate language and behavior models

·       Generalizes previously learned skills to new teachers and children

·       Expands academically and socially into larger group settings

Expanding Horizons uses a ratio of non-disabled children to those exhibiting disabilities so as not to adversely affect either child.  Careful observation is taken to ensure that all children continue to have a successful preschool experience.  Additionally, staff from the autism program accompanies the child that is included and collect valuable data on the included child that is utilized in the child’s education plan and helps the teacher plan for the child’s future educational setting.

Cooperative Philosophy
The Expanding Horizons program was developed in 1988 and is a cooperative preschool program for children between the ages of 18 months to five years of age.  Throughout the years, EHP has been a cooperative program.  Research confirms that the most effective early childhood programs are those which involve families in meaningful ways.  Therefore, our cooperative philosophy helps us draw from the wealth of information that families bring to our program.

Co-oping is an integral component of our program.  Parents have the option to co-op in the classroom four times per quarter to receive a tuition discount.  To help keep families informed, monthly program newsletters and weekly classroom newsletters inform families of events, daily classroom activities, and extensions of classroom ideas, are provided to enhance creative thinking at home.  In addition, daily notes are sent home that outline what the child did that day at school.  For example, how much snack he/she ate, what activities he/she participated in, what areas he/she played in, overall mood of the child, if he/she participated in clean up, etc.  This helps establish a partnership and maintain communication between home and school that benefits children in many ways.

Click here for an Application for Enrollment.
Click here for a tuition schedule.
 

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