Preschool

Preschool Screening for At Risk Students

Early Childhood Program
Robert Crown School

Early childhood classes provide early intervention services to students aged three to five years old (preschool through kindergarten) who have been determined eligible for this special education placement. The classes are preschool classrooms utilizing curriculum aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Standards that correlates to District 118 curriculum. Classes are taught by Early Childhood Special Education teachers supported by teacher assistant and/or related service providers such as speech/language therapist, social worker, or occupational therapist as per the student’s IEP.

Students recommended for this class have been identified by the IEP team when they:

Require special education modification or alternatives to the general preschool curriculum due to learning differences as noted on the student’s IEP.
Benefit from intense instruction in readiness, language or independent learning skills.
Can navigate through a mainstream school building and interact with mainstream peers in mainstream classes such as physical education and music with some teacher assistance.

Preschool Screening for At-Risk Students

If you have concerns about your child's– emotional, social, cognitive, or physical development - Wauconda CUSD 118 offers Preschool Screening to all preschoolers aged three to five. The screening will provide parents with information about their child’s growth and development in the areas of cognition, motor, speech, language, social, emotional, vision and hearing.

What will be learned?
Preschool screenings help school personnel determine if preschool students are in need of specialized educational programming. As a result to the screening, the school personnel might:

Provide useful information for families to foster areas of growth and development. Inform parents about the possible need for a medical evaluation due to vision or hearing problems.
Your child might be eligible for WEE Kids At Risk Preschool. WEE Kids is preschool for three to five year old students who are at risk of academic failure. Students who are identified as having delays in two or more areas of cognitive, motor, speech, language, English as a Second Language or social-emotional needs may qualify for this program.
Your child might be recommended for further evaluation. Depending on the need, this evaluation might be conducted by Wauconda CUSD 118 staff or your child might be referred for a comprehensive evaluation by the Early Childhood Assessment Team through the Special Education District of Lake County.

What can I expect on the day of the screening?

The screening is set up in stations. Students travel through the stations while parents wait in a waiting area.
Your child will participate in activities such as naming objects, colors, simple drawings, recognizing letters and numbers, answering questions and simple motor tasks.
Your child will have a vision and hearing screening.
Parents will be given the opportunity to speak with school personnel about any concerns.
Spanish speaking evaluators and interpreters will be available if needed. Interpreters for languages other than Spanish or English may be available upon request.
The screening takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Please be on time for your appointment and be patient as this day will provide valuable information about your preschooler.

How can I help prepare my child for the screening?

Be sure your child has plenty of rest and has eaten prior to the screening.
Let your child know they will be asked to work with blocks, draw, hop, toss a bean bag, and answer questions.
Let your child know it will be fun and they will work with many nice teachers.
Let your child know they will have a hearing test and will wear headphones and hear beeps.
Make these activities sound like fun to ease any concerns your child may have with these new events.

Screenings are offered several times a year by appointment. To sign up, please call your child’s school. For a list of screening dates for the 2011-2012 school year and contact information, please check our flyer in English and Spanish.

WEE (Wauconda Early Education for) Kids...is Pre-school for At-Risk Students

WEE Kids is preschool for three to five year old students who are at risk of academic failure. Students may be at risk due to cognitive, motor, speech, language, or social-emotional development. The WEE Kids program fosters an innovative, creative program with emphasis on educating the whole child.

CUSD 118 offers WEE Kids Preschool to all who qualify.* Wauconda CUSD 118 has been awarded an Early Childhood Block Grant for Ages 3 to 5 years old provided through the Illinois State Board of Education.

Who is Eligible?
Students who are identified as having delays in two or more areas of cognitive, motor, speech, language, English as a second language, or social-emotional needs. Preschool students aged three to five participate in Preschool Screenings, which are held several times per year at the Wauconda Public Library. Based on the results of the screening, children may be considered eligible for WEE Kids.* Children must turn three years old by September 1st of the current school year, may be no more than five years of age by September 1st for the current school year.

What are student benefits?
Early intervention and enrichment opportunities maximize student potential. The WEE Kids program offers excellent early intervention and standards based early childhood education. The program is aligned with the curriculum current provided in our Elementary schools in reading and math. The curriculum is aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Standards. Students gain valuable social experience and readiness skills so they will be better prepared to meet the challenge of Kindergarten.

* Availability may vary due to current enrollment and class size. Classes are a maximum of 20 students.

How can I help my child at home?

It is important that students attend school regularly. If this is a child’s first experience away from home, s/he may need some time to adjust.
Be involved. Communicate often with the classroom teachers, look over student work and parent information on a regular basis. Let your child know you support their learning at home.
Take advantage of parent involvement opportunities offered through WEE Kids. These are held on a regular basis throughout the school year and cover such topics as discipline, growth, development, and activities for you to do with your child at home.
Preschool children learn through active play. Provide opportunities for your child to play. Play should involve activity, creativity, social interaction, and invention.
Expose your child to a wide variety of experiences. Allow them to play with clay, paint, crayons, paper, blocks, and imagination toys (just to name a few).
Preschool children learn how to play with others with careful supervision by parents. Have children play with others and arrange short, structured interactions at first. When you child is ready, allow them longer periods of time with less adult involvement.
Reading is fundamental to the educational experience. Read to your child daily.

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