William kirby
Huber Heights schools
This week, I would like to update our community about a program for our youngest residents, our preschool children.
Those of us who are parents or grandparents, or have spent time with young children, have experienced first hand their natural curiosity. They are like sponges, soaking up knowledge and information at every opportunity.
The Huber Heights City School District recognizes the importance of providing a quality-learning environment to young children, especially children identified with a disability. Two of our elementary schools, Kitty Hawk and Valley Forge, house the district’s “Special Needs Preschool Program.”
This program is designed to provide early intervention and educational services to children, ages 3 to 5, with an identified disability. Eligible children are identified through an evaluation process and those with a recognized disability such as autism or multiple disabilities are placed in the program.
We know that children learn from each other, so in addition to the children with special needs; typically developing preschoolers also are enrolled in the preschool program. Each unit can have a total of 16 3- to 5-year-old preschool children; eight students identified with disabilities and eight typically developing students. The units are licensed through the Ohio Department of Education and follow the Early Learning Content Standards as adopted by the State Board of Education. The Early Learning Content Standards are designed to provide young children with the knowledge and skills necessary for a successful transition into kindergarten.
Additionally, all preschool teachers are certified and each classroom is supported with paraprofessionals. The preschool program operates four days per week, Monday through Thursday, with Friday used for parent conferencing, periodic family field trips, and individual assessments.
At preschool, our youngest students are exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes and more important, they learn how to socialize – get along with other children, share, and contribute during circle time.
If you have additional questions about the Special Needs Preschool Program, please call the administrative offices at (937) 237-6300 and ask for the Special Services Department. As always, if you have questions about our schools, please contact me at the administrative offices or by e-mail at William.Kirby@huberheightscityschools.org.
William Kirby is superintendent of Huber Heights City Schools
About the Author