Unique program opens doors for young students with special needs
There are some special things happening at Carpenter Elementary School in the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities. It may even seem like "special effects" to the students and their parents, but it is really the result of hard work and cooperation with two other preschool programs in Deer Park.
All school districts are required to provide a PPCD program, but the program at Carpenter Elementary has some unique advantages.
The program is specifically designed for children age's 3 to 5 who meet the eligibility guidelines of the Texas Education Agency for children with disabilities. The program is different from other programs because it works in conjunction with two other preschool programs outside of DPISD.
The Deer Park Community Center Preschool Program and the Methodist Weekday Preschool program both provide preschool teachers and students to the PPCD program at Carpenter Elementary.
The students that come from these two programs are not disabled. This is what makes the PPCD program especially unique. The children with disabilities are taught together with the children that are not. Pam McLean, Administrator of the PPCD program, says that the program benefits all the students involved.
"The PPCD program provides early intervention for children with special needs. This structured program helps children with disabilities to become self-directed planners and thinkers," said McLean. And that is the goal of any good school program - to teach students to think for themselves.
The children without disabilities gain just as much from the program as those with special needs. "This program allows typically developing children to serve as role models and teaches them how to accept differences in people at an early age," said McLean.
The PPCD Inclusive Program follows the DPISD school calendar. Currently, the program is providing services for approximately 150 preschool students with an identified disability. In addition, there are 48 to 64 children with disabilities that enrolled through the Community Center and the Methodist School. These two programs also provide up to 32 students without disabilities to Carpenter Elementary.
The PPCD program is taught by nine Special Education Certified Teachers, along with two preschool teachers from the Community Center and two teachers from the Methodist School. Additional staff includes two Speech Pathologists, a Physical Therapist, an Occupational Therapist, and a Music Therapist.
The PPCD program operates through federal, state, and local funds.
Donations from parents in the community have allowed the program to purchase materials for its motor lab, and sensory tools for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other sensory impairments.
Every community needs a program that caters to children with special needs. The cooperative program between Carpenter Elementary, the Deer Park Community Center, and the Methodist Preschool Program makes sure that none of the children in Deer Park are left out. They all receive the same benefits from the same program. "These students benefit from early intervention during a critical development window of opportunity," said McLean.
The Community Center and Methodist Weekday School both currently have openings for the cooperative PPCD inclusion program. Students attend preschool Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. Anyone interested in enrolling his or her child should call Kay Brodine at the Community Center (281-478-2050) or Kay Coburn at the Methodist Weekday Preschool (281-930-8645) for further information.