Photo courtesy of Nina Stewart Photography
Mountain Brook preschool students
For children zoned for Mountain Brook Schools, all four of the elementary schools offer an inclusive preschool program for ages 3-5.
The goal of the program is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of both typically developing young children and those with special needs.
Sarah Richardson, who was recently named the Mountain Brook Elementary Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year for Mountain Brook Schools, is one of the teachers for the MBE preschool program.
Mountain Brook Elementary has the largest preschool classroom with three classes. The other three schools have one classroom, which results in those programs filling up faster. Anyone student in the Mountain Brook school district can attend any of preschool locations if there are spots available.
Richardson has been trying to spread the word about the program that she said many people in the community don't know exists.
“We are an inclusion program, so we’re designed to meet the needs of our students with special needs, but we need typically developing peers to join our class as models,” Richardson said. “The largest class size we have is 12 (6 students with special needs and 6 peers). We have 15-18 spots every year (at MBE) and we’re always in need of more applications.”
The program, which is taught by certified teachers, serves between 70 to 75 students each year between all the schools, based on enrollment.
The half-day program runs Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fridays are for the special needs students only. The program follows the Mountain Brook Schools calendar with the only difference being the program starts one day after K-6 begins in August and gets out one week before.
Preschool students also get to participate in the special event hosted by each school during the year.
“The preschool program uses all of the same curriculums and programs that kindergarten uses, so we bridge the transition from preschool to kindergarten in the local school system very easily,” Richardson said.
Even if students begin preschool at Mountain Brook Elementary, Richardson said that they try to have students at the school they are zoned for for their last year of preschool to make it an easier transition for them.
“MBE take [preschool] students from any of the other elementaries: Brookwood Forest, Cherokee Bend, Crestline then we get them back to their home school
Richardson said the benefits of an inclusion class for peers is that they start to learn empathy and compassion at a very young age.
“They are exposed to and get to practice problem solving with individuals that may not think the same way as them or behave the same way as them,” she said. “The peers don't see them as different, it doesn't become who they are, it becomes part of their personality. What we see is that our peers who come out of the program become really stong advocates for kids with special needs. They have a bigger level of compassion for them and look for them when they go into Kindergarten.”
One of the benefits of the program is that the students get to meet the specials teachers in every elementary school and get to know their way around the school building.
“When they come to kindergarten, it's not an intimidating thing,” Richardson said. “They already know all the people and where to go and how to ask for help. It has eased a lot of family and kids' concerns when they first get to kindergarten.”
While the program has a tuition, Richardson said in comparison to other community based programs it costs significantly less.
Applications are available online at mtnbrook.k12.al.us/page/6570 and once completed, they are sent to the school board, who disseminates them to the schools. A time to observe the potential students will be scheduled and then acceptance letters are sent.
Richardson said the qualifications are a good friend and a strong communicator, “since we are trying to protect and advocate with kids for special needs, we are looking for students who would be good models for them.”
“We've got a sweet community,” Richardson said. “The families that have kids with special needs– if they can meet other families that have kids with special needs too and build their own community that's the best part to me is they then have a support system.”
