Early Childhood

• Students who turn 3 years of age and are not 5 years of age before August 31st are served primarily in our blended preschool classrooms, located at each of our elementary schools. Services for students eligible for special education are determined on an individual basis by the IEP team and progress on those goals will be monitored as required. 

• Each of our early childhood classrooms is taught by a licensed ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) teacher with support from highly qualified paraprofessionals. All our classrooms implement the Creative Curriculum for preschool.  It is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that promotes exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills. In addition, the curriculum aligns with the Kansas Early Learning Standards (KELS) and all students are measured through the GOLD assessment which tracks their progress toward standard completion.

• For students turning 4 years of age on or before August 31st who qualify for the State Pre-K grant funding by meeting one of the 9 criteria as defined by the State of Kansas, there is no cost to attend the Ottawa Early Childhood Education Program (please see below the 9 state criteria). Likewise, students who have Individualized Education Plans attend without charge. If at anytime your child becomes eligible for either of the tuition-free options explained above, that student's tuition ends on their eligibility date.

  ECSE Developmental Screenings:

At least monthly during the school year, developmental screenings are held throughout the district. Children must be referred by a parent, who has a developmental concern about their child. Developmental Screenings are at no cost to the family. The screening coordinator schedules the screenings and takes initial information about the family/child. Screenings last approximately 30-45 minutes. Areas of development that are screened include: Personal-Social (play/behavior), Adaptive (self-care), Cognition (thinking), Motor (movement), Speech-Language (speaking/listening), Hearing (ears), and Vision (eyes). Parents are also asked to complete a questionnaire about their child's development and medical history.

At the completion of the screening, the ECSE team will score the results and notify the parents of the findings. If the team determines that more information is required, the parents are notified, and the team will request written consent for a full evaluation to determine if the child requires ECSE services to meet his/her developmental needs. If so, an IEP will be developed, and the child will receive services in one or a combination of the following service delivery model.

If you have concerns or questions about your child’s development or are interested in a screening to  see if your child is on track for development please contact Dana Crawford at 785-229-8010.

  Criteria for At-Risk, as defined by the State of Kansas

1. Poverty:  qualifies for free meals under the National School Lunch Program

2. Single parent families

3. Referral from the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF)

4. Teen parents

5. Either parent is lacking a high school diploma or GED

6. Limited English proficiency

7. Lower than expected developmental progress in at least one of the following areas: cognitive development; physical development; communication/literacy; social-emotional/behavior; adaptive behavior/self-help skills

8. Child qualifying for migrant status

9. Child experiencing homelessness