NCRC’s Early Beginnings Program is an interdisciplinary play-based intervention program serving up to six children enrolled in an AM Early Learning classroom. It offers specialized instruction to children who have been identified as needing additional supports and adaptations as well as family and caregiver support.

About the program:

• Children participate in an interdisciplinary play-based group one  morning a week  from early October to early May. Directing teachers and the CDT work together to engage the children in small group instruction targeting all developmental domains—social-emotional, communication, self-help, fine/gross motor, and cognitive skills. Weekly parent participation is required for this program through a series of parent education opportunities including a weekly parent group meeting with the School Counselor. The focus of the  parent meeting is to discuss child development, parenting strategies and resources in the community. During this period of Covid 19 precautions,the weekly parent meeting will occur in the evening over Zoom.

program components:

• Home Visits

  • In order to promote generalization of current curriculum targets in the home environment, Early Beginnings families are scheduled for home visits (this year in compliance with CDC guidelines the visits will be virtual) in approximately three to six week intervals. For each home visit, a representative from CDT teams up with one of the Early Learning teachers to engage both parent and child in games and activities that follow the classroom themes, enrich speech and language skills, and reinforce sensory motor skills and social play. 

    Although home visits are not considered therapy sessions, they do offer parents an opportunity for extra support in promoting their child’s development. Families are encouraged to share not only their triumphs, but also their challenges so that home visits can be tailored to meet immediate needs. 

    Once a child transitions from the Early Beginnings Program into NCRC’s preschool tier they will typically be invited to attend the weekly Play Pals program.

The Play Pals program is a weekly, multi-sensory/enrichment group designed and implemented by the Child Development Team. It is supported by a generous endowment and is free for all participants throughout their years at NCRC.

The group is for Early Beginnings alums as well as others who benefit from additional support with social interactions, motor skills, speech and language development, or self-regulation. Some of the children attending the group have an ILP (Individual Learning Plan) or Action Plan. There are targeted goals for each unit that are adapted for each child’s individual needs. CDT sends group photos and a summary of skills addressed regularly. They are intended to be used at home to facilitate discussion between parents and children about the day’s events and skill carryover to home.

Speech and language development happens on a continuum with children reaching communicative milestones at varying paces. NCRC’s speech-language pathologist employs speech and language screening procedures to promote early identification of children at risk for speech sound disorders, developmental language disorders. Screening referrals can be made by the CDT, a child’s teaching team or directly by the family.

Young children learn to process sensory information from the environment and within their bodies at different rates. Sometimes a child’s behavior or motor performance may interfere with his or her ability to participate in all aspects of the school day in an expected way. An occupational therapy screening helps to assess the underlying sensory processing and motor skills that may be contributing to any observed difficulties. NCRC’s occupational therapist employs sensory and motor screenings to promote early identification of children at risk for developmental delay. Screening referrals can be made by the CDT, teaching teams or directly by the family.

CDT oversees schoolwide developmental screenings using the Brigance Screens III. This screening procedure provides a snapshot of children’s skills across several developmental domains, including language development, cognitive development, physical developmental (fine and gross motor), self-help skills, and social-emotional development. The Screens III will provide the CDT and teaching teams with a baseline of each child’s skills to ensure that the curriculum is tailored to individual needs.

• When a child is identified as needing some additional supports or adaptation the CDT meets with parents and teachers to develop a plan for in school interventions.  

• The CDT assists families with engaging with professionals in the community who provide Occupational Therapy, Social-Emotional Support, and Speech and Language Therapy.

• Throughout the year there will be evening opportunities for parents to come together with faculty and/or outside experts to discuss issues important to family and school life.  The topics are  identified by the community and faculty collaboratively.  Previous events have focussed on, building an anti-racist community for young children,  healthy child sexual development, child safety and first aid, effective communication with child care providers,  etc.

• The Dads Team brings parents together to discuss parenting, family life, etc. as well as to build friendships within the school community.

• The Moms Team brings parents together to discuss parenting, family life, etc. as well as to build friendships within the school community.

Using the Brigance Inventory of Early Development—III as a guide, the CDT works collaboratively with teaching teams to determine when an Action Plan or Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is needed to create a bridge between a child’s current developmental level and end of year goals.

Using the Brigance Inventory of Early Development—III as a guide, the CDT works collaboratively with teaching teams to determine when an Action Plan or Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is needed to create a bridge between a child’s current developmental level and end of year goals.

Within the framework of Early Childhood Education the CDT provides regular inservice training to all members of the faculty on important themes in child development.

CDC Developmental Milestones

Zero to Three

National Association For The Education of Young Children

American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Milestones