For Parents
What is the Early Learning Center (ELC)?
The ELC provides comprehensive preschool and related services for children who reside in Attleboro and are between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. In compliance with Chapter 766 federally mandated Child Find procedures, the staff of the ELC works cooperatively with Kennedy Donovan Early Intervention and community based agencies and preschools to identify children with special education needs and provide opportunity for preschool education and/or related services for those children who are eligible.
What is the Community Peer Model Program?
The ELC has ten preschool classrooms. The majority of the classrooms are fully integrated. Each of these classrooms is comprised of 51% community peers and 49% those identified as special education students.
Community Peer students must be:
A resident of Attleboro
Three years old by September 1st to attend for the upcoming school year.
Demonstrate age-appropriate skills as exhibited in the ELC Screening.
What curriculum does the ELC follow?
The ELC curriculum and instruction is aligned with the MA state guidelines as well as the MA frameworks and is designed to support best practice in early childhood education. Teachers base curriculum on observation of children’s interests and their developmental progress. Learning activities are concrete and relevant for the children. The learning environment is designed so that children learn through active exploration and interaction. As children develop greater understanding, the teachers, therapists and paraprofessionals plan a variety of activities of increasing complexity and challenge.
In addition, to further support our teaching and learning, the ELC staff utilizes the following curriculums:
Second Steps Social Skills Program
Telian Lively Letters program
Handwriting Without Tears Program
What about our ELC staff?
Our staff provides an exceptional level of expertise. Teachers are dually certified in early childhood education and special education. All ELC teachers and ParaProfessionals are considered Highly Qualified by National and Massachusetts standards. Therapy staff meet or exceed the standards set forth by their related discipline licensing boards.
Continuum of Services offered through ELC
Speech Therapy | Special education placements for children with multiple and/or significant disabilities |
|---|---|
Occupational Therapy | Summer service options for children with disabilities |
Physical Therapy | |
Behavior Analysis | |
Nursing Care | |
Integrated Preschool |
Other Services offered through ELC
Developmental Screenings | Community outreach and support to all Attleboro Preschools |
|---|---|
Comprehensive TEAM evaluations to determine special education eligibility | Itinerant services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy for children who are not in preschool or attend private preschool programs. |
Community Resource and Referral |
Visitor Procedures for the Early Learning Center located at Thacher Elementary School.
Students who arrive after doors close at 8:55am or 12:45pm need to arrive through Thacher's main office and sign the tardy book.
If a student is being dismissed, please call the ELC office and let us know ahead of time. Dismissals before 11:25a or 3:15p will occur through Thacher's main office.
ELC Arrival /Dismissal Procedures (Please click on the link below.)