BPS Early Childhood Program Information

The Bennington Schools provides Special Education Services to children ages Birth to 21. If you have concerns about your child's stages of development and your child is not yet three years old, please go to the Birth-3 Services Tab at the top of this website. If you have concerns about your child's stages of development and your child is between three and five years old and is not yet enrolled in Kindergarten, please go to the 3-5 year old services tab.

If you child is developing at a typical rate and you are wanting to be part of our preschool program as a peer role model, please go to the 3-5 year old services tab and look for PEER Model information. 

Below you may learn more about our preschool program model as well as staff to assist you in navigating any concerns with your child(ren) that are five years old or younger:

Preschool integrates three and four-year-old students without disabilities into the special education preschool classroom to act as peer models. There are three (3) morning sessions that attend Monday-Thursday 8am-11:15am. These morning classes are intended for our three year old students (students who are still three years of age on July 31st of the school year they are attending). There are also three (3) afternoon sessions that attend Monday-Thursday 12pm-3:15pm. These afternoon classes are intended for our four year old students (students who are still fours of age on July 31st of the school year they are attending).​

​*to help each child reach his/her fullest potential.

*to prepare each child for maximum participation in educational activities in the least restrictive environment.

*to provide an atmosphere of trust, where children are provided with support, in a safe and gentle environment.

*to foster a sense of competency and independence in all aspects of the child's being.  Children succeed when they have a strong sense of self and a child's self esteem and ability to learn are interdependent.

*to support the development of the whole child - socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually.

We utilize the GOLD Standards to monitor student growth and guide our instruction.

​​We believe that children's play is an expression of intelligence and growth.  Play is the essential work of childhood and an important part of developing cognitive, emotional, and problem-solving skills.  Young children learn best through hands-on, concrete experiences, and this firm foundation allows them to begin to learn to make abstractions.  The Bennington Preschool provides opportunities for children to repeatedly try new skills and experiment with new knowledge.

All About Preschool Curriculum Guide - created by the 2022-2023 Preschool Staff

We utilize the following curriculum to work on our academic and pre-academic skills: Get Set for School - Learning Without Tears. You can explore what this curriculum has to offer by clicking here.

We utilize the following curriculum to work on life skills such as responsible decision-making, team work, problem solving, making friends, self-control, and many more: Second Step Program. You can explore what this curriculum has to offer through the Program Overview PDF and/or the Full Scope & Sequence PDF.

The Nebraska Department of Education also requires us to assess students progress using the GOLD objectives, two times a year. To learn more about what the 38 objectives are that our staff assesses, please click here.