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Mainstreaming Preschoolers

I have been wondering why Nashua does not have an integrated preschool or work with private preschools such as Goddard so that our disabled children can have a more typical educational experience in the least restrictive environment? As far as I can tell, there is only one option for preschoolers with disabilities in Nashua and that is a fully self-contained classroom with some "reverse integration" time. Research shows that being in an integrated preschool prepares children for later public school, increases their language and social abilities, etc. Nashua's one size fits all for preschoolers is a violation of the federal mandate to educate children in the least restrictive environment and doesn't take the individual child's needs into account. How can one approach be "individualized?" Where is the "continuum of services?" Does anyone in Nashua have their child in a typical preschool at the public expense? In looking at the Nashua budget, I see there aren't any private preschool placements and they only have self contained classrooms with reverse integration for part of some days. The IEP says "integrated preschool" but the preschool is anything but integrated. An integrated class is one in which a disabled child attends a regular education class (one in which less than half of the students are disabled) or in the case of a preschooler, an early childhood education program.

If anyone has more information on this issue I would love to hear it, as I am just a parent trying to figure out what is going on here. Tracy

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Permalink Reply by Heather Tyler on March 21, 2011 at 12:17pm

We went to observe Learning Together at New Searles Elementary. The class is designed for 18 students, 9 typical and 9 non typical. There is a SpEd teacher, a 'regular' teacher, and 3 paras. It is a full day K. All students have the benefit of sensory breaks, visual schedules, etc regardless of their abilities.

The focus is on getting them to the point where they can enter a regular classroom at grade1 having learned to raise their hands instead of shouting out, learning that they will not always be first, etc.

The Learning Together 'team' stays with the class for the entire day. They children are not ferried back and forth between a special education classroom and a typical classroom as they are with Nashua's other K programs.

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Permalink Reply by Melanie Butler on March 21, 2011 at 8:24pm

Wow, I wish i had known about that program last year. It sounds like it would have been a great placement for my son. It is so frustrating. I work in the field and have lots of people I can find out information from and still don't know all that is available out there.

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Permalink Reply by Paula Y. Castro on March 21, 2011 at 10:30am

Hi Tracy, all I can say is that luckily enough I learned about Nashua's horrendous pre-k policies while my son was still in early intervention. We moved out of Nashua, in fact out of NH as if we were running for our lives! Even though I only lived there for one year, it was enough for me to still be torturing myself with the question of "why did I lived there? We were "lucky" to be renting so moving was not so difficult. Most parents I met there are home owners and couldn't escape like we did!

Best wishes

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Permalink Reply by MaryAnn Ciccolo on March 21, 2011 at 2:55pm

We are actually thinking of selling for much less than we bought. We bought when the market was high, just to get out of this town and go to Massachusetts where I grew up. We would need to rent instead of buy again, but i think it is worth it for his development.