Preschool Program
The preschool program serves children with delays ages three (3) through five (5). Children with delays, in the preschool program at Happy Day School, are served through a placement request by the child’s parent and local school district and concurrence by the Board’s Director of Children’s Services that the program at Happy Day School is the most appropriate educational placement for the child. Special education and related services are provided in a classroom setting. The interventions for each preschooler with a delay are individualized with learning objectives and services delineated in an Individual Education Plan (IEP) developed jointly by the special education instructor, related services staff, and the child’s parents.
Children without delays also participate in the preschool classrooms for a nominal tuition fee. Currently, two preschool classrooms operate at Happy Day with up to eight (8) children with delays and eight (8) without delays in each classroom. Preschool classrooms operate as a full-day program, five days a week across a nine-month school calendar year. Children, delayed and non-delayed, learn from each other while working and playing in groups. Individual activities are also provided to meet each child’s specific needs. Parents do not attend preschool classes with their child but on-going involvement and participation are highly encouraged.
