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Expanding Horizons Preschool and Kindergarten The Expanding Horizons program is a developmentally appropriate practice preschool and kindergarten for children without disabilities. It was developed in 1988 and is located in the Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism. Public Law 101-476, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states the importance of children with disabilities having access and interactions with their non-disabled peers. The preschool was developed to provide an on site integration program. The program includes a class for two year old children, classes for children between the ages of three and five, a pre-kindergarten class for children who will be entering kindergarten the following school year. These are all half day programs. In addition, there is a half day private kindergarten classroom. The time a child from the Pingree Center participates in Expanding Horizons depends on his or her treatment plan, behaviors and skills. Inclusion into Expanding Horizons benefits all children involved. For the child without disabilities, he or she learns to accept differences, learns to adjust to meet the needs of others and realizes the commonalities that exist between children of all developmental stages. The child with disabilities gains the opportunity to be with peers his or her own age that display typical language and social models. In addition, skills learned in his or her own Pingree classroom, can generalize previously learned skills with different teachers and children. Expanding Horizons is a cooperative preschool program. Research confirms that the most effective early childhood programs are those which involve parents in meaningful ways. Therefore, our cooperative philosophy helps us draw from the wealth of information that families bring to our program. Parent participation is not required, but if families choose to participate in the classroom, tuition is given a discounted rate. The guidelines upon which the program standards are set reflect a clear commitment regarding the rights of young children to be involved in a respectful and supportive learning environment. For schedules, pricing and general information, please contact
Micheleo@vmh.com or call 883-5335. |
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