Preschool Program Getting High Marks
By Kelly McKinney
The Observer-Reporter
Parents whose children began attending Head Start this year through a partnership with Intermediate Unit 1 are giving high marks to both agencies for meeting the needs of children with disabilities.
Through a collaboration between Community Action Southwest - Head Start's parent organization - and the IU, nearly 30 children with disabilities were enrolled this past fall in the preschool serving about 140 students at the former Patten School in Washington.
"It's been wonderful," said Rita Csonka, whose 4-year-old daughter, Kathy, has attended IU programs for speech therapy. "It has done a world of good as far as maturity. She shares better and helps other kids."
Like all of her classmates, the little girl attends a full day of preschool four days a week. Any speech, occupational or physical therapy services needed by the students are worked into their daily routine. No distinctions are made between typical children or those with identified disabilities.
While Head Start always has served a small special-needs population, the new arrangement allows for more children to be included in a regular education program, organizers said. All services provided to the 3- to 5-year-olds are free of charge, and participants must still meet certain income guidelines to be eligible for the federally funded preschool.
As part of the new agreement, Head Start and an IU staff of five work side-by-side in the building to ensure that all students are progressing in their education, social skills and motor skills.
"We give support to the children and the staff," said Debby Sestili, an early intervention supervisor for the IU.
Students' developmental issues range from minor speech delays to those associated with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Regardless of their disability, the children all benefit from learning and playing with typical children, Sestili said. The interaction gives them an opportunity to watch and model those not struggling with the same disabilities.
Csonka and parent Amy Moon say they have seen remarkable progress in their own children.
Like Csonka's daughter, Moon said her youngest son was first enrolled in an IU program called Child Alert. He was referred to the program after Moon noticed William's speech did not seem to be developing as quickly as other children his age. Both families still would be taking their preschoolers to Child Alert for speech therapy had they not transferred them to Head Start this fall.
And both mothers said Child Alert was a good start, but could not compare to the socialization and education their children have been receiving at Patten School.
"He's been doing great," Moon said of her 4-year-old. "He's speaking. He verbalizes instead of pointing and pulling you to things. I think it's just a great program."
The other 20 Head Start classrooms in Washington and Greene counties also serve children of all abilities, but serve those with special needs in a more segregated manner, organizers said
Copyright ©2000 Observer Publishing Co. Last updated Thursday, April 13, 2000
