Inclusion Services: Frazer Center's Inclusive Education Program
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Inclusion Services

More About our Child Development Program

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Early Education Inclusion Program

Frazer Center’s early education program welcomes the full and meaningful inclusion of children with special needs. Children with special needs are not just present in the classroom. They are engaged with their classmates in learning and play, which often carries over to celebrations and family gatherings away from the Center. They have rewarding, reciprocal friendships with their peers—both those with and without special needs—and nurturing relationships with our teachers. Every child has individualized learning goals, and the support and instruction to work towards those goals.

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Access, Participation, and Supports

The defining features of inclusion—access, participation, and supports—are central to the mission and practices of our Inclusion Program. 

ACCESS means providing a wide range of activities and environments for every child by removing physical barriers and offering multiple ways to promote learning and development.

PARTICIPATION means using a range of instructional approaches to promote engagement in play and learning activities, and a sense of belonging for every child.

SUPPORTS refer to broader aspects of the system, such as professional development, incentives for inclusion, and opportunities for communication and collaboration among families and professionals to assure high-quality inclusion.

— From the Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

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Collaboration

Collaboration is a cornerstone of a quality inclusive education. Teamwork is an essential part of supporting the participation and learning of children with special needs in our program. Our Inclusion Team members include parents, teachers, therapists, and administrators. All team members must work together to ensure that the child has a quality learning environment and an instructional plan that addresses their individual needs. To ensure that parents have more information about their role in the Inclusion Team, parents are given a Parent’s Rights and Responsibilities Agreement form upon enrollment.

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Eligibility

Frazer Center provides inclusion services to support children with mild to moderate delays. Any child with an identified disability, delay, medical, or mental health condition requiring early intervention, therapy, special education services, or other specialized services and supports, OR a child who does not have an identified condition but requires specialized services, therapy, supports, or monitoring may be eligible for our program.

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Enrollment

After completing the online enrollment application, parents will receive an email from the Program Director, requesting answers to initial screening questions for the Inclusion Program. In addition, parents will be asked to provide the Director with the most recent developmental evaluations and/or reports. This information will be reviewed by the Inclusion Admission Team.

Once the initial screening information is reviewed, if it is determined that Frazer Center cannot be recommended for a child’s Early Education placement, every effort will be made to provide information and referrals for appropriate services in the community. If, after the initial screening information is reviewed, there is the potential for enrollment in the program, the Director will contact the parents to schedule an in-house observation. This observation provides an opportunity for us to observe and interact with each child individually and in a group setting. The observation typically lasts approximately 45-60 minutes, and will take place in a classroom with children of a similar age. After the in-house observation, the admission team will meet to determine if enrollment in the program is recommended.  Parents will be notified within 72 hours of the team’s decision. If it is determined that Frazer Center cannot be recommended for a child’s Early Childhood placement, every effort will be made to provide information and referrals for appropriate services in the community.

Inclusion Services:

All enrolled children identified to have special needs as defined by Frazer Center’s eligibility requirements will receive:

  • Enrollment and full inclusion in Frazer Center’s NAEYC-accredited Child Development Program, taught by early education professionals who receive professional development and coaching on the inclusion of children with special needs;
  • Initial Inclusion Team meeting upon enrollment (parents, Child Development Program administrator, therapists, and teachers);
  • Provision of private therapy space for “pull-out” services, or adaptations for “push-in” services in the classroom, and teacher/therapist communication about therapeutic goals;
  • Addition of minimal adaptations and/or interventions in the classroom and in instruction, to ensure inclusion and advancement of therapeutic and educational goals (as applicable);
  • Additional Inclusion Team meetings held as needed, upon request from parent, teacher, or administrator;
  • Yearly teacher transition meeting for current teachers to meet with the child’s new teacher to discuss goals, objectives, and strategies.

 

Inclusion Consultant Program

Children with special needs who receive therapies across several domains or require a high level of support in one domain, and who require significant differentiated instruction, support and accommodations, may be eligible for the following support in addition to Frazer’s standard Inclusion Services.

  • Quarterly team meetings (September, January, May), and the addition of an Inclusion Consultant to the Inclusion Team. The Inclusion Consultant is an  early intervention professional who provides the following services:
    • Observes child and makes recommendations to the Inclusion Team, in order to determine and prioritize the needs of the child in the classroom
    • Coordinates with the Inclusion Team to develop targeted goals and objectives
    • Collaborates with the Inclusion Team to assure the implementation and generalization of each identified child’s targeted goals and objectives
    • Creates a weekly email update for the child, and distributes to the Inclusion Team
    • Provides appropriate resources (including interventions and strategies) to the teaching staff, to encourage independent learning opportunities and increase the participation in the classroom
    • Assists families in the transition to community programs, public or private school settings to ensure the continuation of appropriate educational and therapeutic services
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