Inclusive of Children with Disabilities

     Desert Preschool Academy ensures its support and inclusivity of students of all abilities in acquiring linguistic academic, behavioral, and social milestones using our Student Support and Progress Team (SSPT). Unique to each child’s case, these teams consist of the child’s classroom teacher, site supervisor, area child development specialist, and the primary caregiver(s) and is created to offer early identification, early intervention planning, and a solution-based approach to clarifying concerns, developing strategies, coordination of resources, and a system of accountability for measuring outcomes. Any student with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) will have recurring SSPT meetings in which team members will regularly gather to discuss the findings as well as strategies to ensure the quality care and successful application of the plans while the child is in our care. Including making accommodations and providing activities and/ or instruction that align with the goals and outcomes of the child’s IEP/IFSP. 

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Ensuring Respect, Bias-Free Treatment, and Equitable Care for All

     Our agency does not discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual preference, or other similar characteristics and circumstances. Furthermore, our program ensures that personal rights are afforded to all our students which include but are not limited to dignity in relationships with staff and others, safe and healthful environments that meet their individual needs, freedom from corporal or unusual punishments, and so on. We ensure respectful, and equitable learning environments by carefully following community care licensing regulations and conducting frequent observations, reviews, and training to confirm all team members are aware of and implementing these practices daily.

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Supporting Children’s Social and Emotional Development 

      As a part of the FrogStreet curriculum program, our classrooms practice Conscious Discipline. This is a trauma-informed social-emotional learning program that allows our teaching team members to equip their students with the skills to identify and communicate their feelings as well as determine strategies to cope with those emotions in a way that is healthy, safe, and conducive to the classroom environment. This program in partnership with consistent daily classroom schedules and routines affords our students emotional security that allows them to develop trust, sustain social relationships, and further their development of emotional intelligence as well as self-regulation skills.   

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Provisions for Children’s Cognitive and Language Skills 

     Desert Preschool Academy has implemented the use of the Frog Street curriculum program. Offered in both English and Spanish, this program plans its lessons, activities, experiences, and exercises to align with students' individual levels of development and can be easily adjusted to ensure each student's ability to participate and be successful in obtaining the intended learning objective by offering accommodations, scaffolding opportunities, and supports that can be implemented for students with varied levels of abilities and exceptional needs.  Using a variety of methods and modalities, FrogStreet assists our students in expanding their development in numeracy and literacy whilst incorporating creative self-expression, promoting interaction and language use, and encouraging inquiry and exploration using STEAM-based lessons, activities, circle times, and experiences. 

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Physical Development​

     Our program supports students' physical development through playtimes in quality indoor and outdoor learning environments that are rich with intentionally planned equipment and materials. We ensure the quality of children’s learning environments by assessing and improving upon them twice yearly using the environmental rating scales ECERS-R and ITERS-R depending on the age range of the group being served.  In addition to providing ample playtime that makes up a substantial portion of the day, our teaching team members plan portions of their day to be dedicated to music and movement activities and active physical play. During these times, teachers offer students games, exercises, and activities to aid their continued physical development.

 

Health & Safety Practices​

     Our classroom schedules are created to allow time for students to practice self-help skills and personal hygiene tasks throughout the program day including handwashing, feeding, dressing, and rest. In addition, our FrogStreet curriculum offers lessons and activities for students to better understand health and safety; these lessons range from gaining an understanding of germs and how they spread, how to stay safe in the event of an emergency, and how to care for our physical bodies through hygiene routines, healthy eating habits, and active physical exercise.  In addition to teaching our students about health and safety, our teaching team members model these practices for students and ensure that their physical environments are always kept safe for students by always following and maintaining both Title 22 and Title 5 regulations.