Program Descriptions

The Collaborative Preschool is an integrated preschool for children residing in the tri-town area. It is located at Essex Elementary School and serves 3 to 5-year-old children. Our inclusive program provides an educational experience for young children that promotes learning in all developmental domains (academic, cognitive, communication, social, motor, creative arts, and self-help), while fostering friendship, collaboration, and respect for individual differences. Our program promotes differentiated instruction to prepare all our students for success in kindergarten. We use a language-based curriculum and adhere to the CT Early Learning Developmental Standards (CTELDS). We believe that children learn best through a balance of play and active participation in meaningful structured activities.  We offer both preschool, prekindergarten, and an *intensive instruction classroom.

Preschool:

Our preschool classes use a Storybook Curriculum which is a language-rich, literature-based approach to instruction. A popular children’s book serves as an anchor and springboard for monthly themes. There is an emphasis on learning through multiple exposures to concepts and ideas. The goal of instruction and educational experiences for our youngest learners is to foster learning and development of cognitive, academic, communication, social-emotional, motor and self-help skills to create a strong foundation for school success.

Prekindergarten: 

Our prekindergarten classes provide developmentally appropriate activities focusing on literacy and math readiness. Themes are embedded in a “Letter of the Week” format and anchored in a variety of both fiction and nonfiction texts. Weekly science, cooking or special events are designed to pique interest and engage children in creating experiential letter memories. Multiple presentations in varying formats allow students opportunities for review while permitting them to experience success. Our goal is for all our students to enter kindergarten with foundational skills in alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, oral language, and comprehension. They will leave our program believing they are readers and writers!  

Intensive Instruction:

The intensive instruction preschool classroom is a data-driven classroom based on the principles used in applied behavior analysis.  This is a nurturing and flexible setting with a high staff-to-student ratio.  This classroom aims to provide children with instruction that allows for teachers to follow students at their pace and engage them in learning specific skills such as joint attention, learning-how-to-learn skills (e.g., observing, waiting, attending, early communication skills, following basic preschool rules), pre-teaching content for successful integration into preschool and/or prekindergarten. We want our students to be as independent as possible as they prepare to learn in a less restrictive setting.

In addition, we provide learners with extra support in all areas of development in collaboration with our preschool, prekindergarten teachers, and families. 

*Placement in this classroom is a PPT decision. 

Preschool classes meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays

        ~Morning sessions meet from 8:45-11:15 

        ~Afternoon sessions meet from 12:15-2:45

PreKindergarten days and times are currently under review.

Weekly specials include:

     Music with Community Music School

Gym with Essex facilitated by the Physical Therapist

      Sensory Motor Yoga Group facilitated by the Occupational Therapist

Phonemic Awareness, Social Skills, and Language Groups facilitated by the Speech-Language Pathologists