It is our mission for the greater good of our community to care directly for each parent, child, staff member and volunteer that walks through our doors. SCEIC strives to achieve a full investment in the children, parents, and families in attendance of our pre-school.

To achieve this, we have developed a unique, interdisciplinary program. The focus of this program includes a 50/50 blend of special needs children in the classroom learning alongside their typically developing peers. This interaction allows for role-modeling from peers and prepares the children for the eventual mainstream experience. The team spirit nurtured at SCEIC encourages teachers and therapists to cross boundaries in a cooperative manner using the newest and most developmentally appropriate techniques employed in the field.

Interacting with children with special needs and learning to accept them is a valuable experience for all children. For the breakdown of children with disabilities for the 2006-2007 school year, click here.


Program

All programs are five (5) days/week and are offered with the following three (3) options.

Half-day program / No childcare (7:30 AM to 12:30 PM). This is SCEIC's unique Pre-K morning academics program. Academics are from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The morning program consists of age appropriate developmental activities in a structured classroom environment.

Full day program / No childcare (7:30 AM to 3:00 PM). This includes SCEIC's unique Pre-K morning academics program. Academics are from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. From 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM we have rest time and SCEIC's specially developed Arts & Crafts and activities.

Full day program / With childcare (7:30 AM to 6:00 PM). This includes SCEIC's unique Pre-K morning academics program. Academics are from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. From 12:30 PM to 6:00 PM we have rest time, SCEIC's specially developed Arts & Crafts and activities, and structured After Care activities.




Additional Benefits

Mainstreaming. A major difference between SCEIC and other programs is the concentration on mainstreaming and/or inclusion. The Center believes that the more children with special needs are involved with their normally developing peers, the more it enhances their opportunities for learning the social skills necessary to help them be truly accepted.

SCEIC's children are fully integrated and share in activities such as story time, art projects, songs, snack time, and playground fun. All children are learning to share, take turns and make friends in a cooperative environment. This approach helps children learn their own teaching skills and gain more self-confidence, which allows them to build a symbiotic relationship in the process.

Socialization. Our Center gives the children opportunities for social interaction with members of the community. The children attend shows and concerts and go to pet stores, restaurants, supermarkets, farms and other real-life destinations. Regular field trips are essential to the growth and development of our children. Public awareness is crucial in order for all children to be accepted and valued.

Family Education & Support. Parent education and support is critical to the families involved at SCEIC. Mothers, fathers, foster parents, grandparents and other family support members are viewed as vital to their child's development, as are the teachers and therapists on staff. Parents work with the staff to evaluate their child, set goals and objectives, implement the program to reach these goals and reassess their child's progress.

Future Educators. We have over 200 future educators at different stages in their pathways studying to work with children. We remove as many barriers as possible to make sure we can provide a meaningful experience for these students.


Additional Services

Our additional services include advocacy, training, and sharing resources with others invested in young children with special needs.

Advocacy. We offer seminars for families relating to relationships and communication. Members of our staff belong to various boards that involve themselves with the assistance of special needs children and their families. When someone asks for assistance, we find a way to help them.

Training. We hold seminars for educators relating the most up to date teaching methods and techniques. Future educators can come to our center to observe these teaching methods and techniques in an inclusive environment.

Sharing Resources. We collaborate with a number of learning organizations in order to stay aware of progressive, ground-breaking techniques. To read more about these organizations, click here.