Welcome to The Heights Community Preschool

Here you will find everything you need to know about the classes we offer, our policies, and procedures and expectations. Please browse our site thoroughly and familiarize yourself with  the programs that your child will be participating in. 

Thank you for your support!

Our Mission and Vision 

Our mission is to serve the whole child through family partnerships, developmentally appropriate practices, and inclusive learning environments.

We provide inclusive classrooms that support whole child learning and acceptance so that each student experiences belonging, and has a foundation for future life and educational pathways. 

Guiding Principles

• Increase Equitable Opportunity: Inclusion of children with special needs is a priority in decision making about program design and resource allocation in order to ensure equitable access and full participation in all early childhood environments. 

• Partner with Families: We ensure meaningful and supported engagement of families in guidance, planning, and evaluation of programs.

• Share Benefits of Inclusion: We recognize and intentionally raise public awareness of the well-researched benefits for all children of high-quality inclusion in all early childhood settings. 

• Build and Support a Competent Workforce: All professionals who work with children have the knowledge, competencies and supports to implement evidence-based practices. We deliberately shift policy to support elements critical to this effort: appropriate professional standards, embedded professional development, culturally and linguistically responsive practices, positive attitudes and beliefs about inclusion, and knowledge of disabilities. 

• Unified Purpose: We intentionally and strategically engage in formal collaboration across agencies to make significant progress toward high quality inclusion across early childhood settings. 

Words and Phrases to Define

• Inclusion: Inclusion is “the belief and practice that all students have the right to meaningfully access academic and social opportunities in general education settings. It is also a vision and philosophy based on the fundamental belief that all children are competent, capable, and should be held to high expectations.” (ESD 112 Inclusionary Practices Project)

• Developmentally appropriate practices: “Developmentally appropriate practices are evidence-based methods that promote each young child’s development and learning through a strengths-based approach to joyful, engaged learning.” (NAEYC)

• Whole child approach: “The whole child approach is one in which the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional needs of students are intentionally addressed in classrooms, through professional learning, and in partnership with families and community.” (ASCD)

• Belonging: “Belonging is experienced when students are present, invited, welcomed, known, accepted, involved, supported, heard, befriended, and needed. When each of these areas is addressed well, schools become learning environments in which all students thrive and are seen as valued and indispensable members of the school community.” (TIES Center - 10 Dimensions of Belonging)