Developmental Preschool is a half-day high-quality integrated preschool program that supports the development of ALL participants.  Children with developmental delays and disabilities who attend our program receive specialized instruction in a developmentally appropriate preschool classroom and benefit from interacting with their typically developing peers.  

This program is available at no cost to children who qualify with an Individual Education Program.   Tuition is charged for children who do not have an IEP.  Tuition-based children are enrolled on a space-available basis; if necessary, a lottery will be held. 

Daily activities include:

• Sensory play: We learn to understand the world through our senses as we explore a wide variety of fun materials
• Fine motor activities: We learn to use our hands to build, draw, write, bead, and complete puzzles
• Outside and inside free play: We learn the most as young children through exploration of the world and through interactions with our peers. This time leads to rich imaginary and explorative play.
• Circle time: In circle time we learn to be in a group, listen, think together, take turns, and think about a specific topic or theme.
• Daily art, science, or cooking activities: We explore through daily experiences with a wide variety of materials and food items that engage our sense of curiosity and creativity.
• Music and movement: We use games and songs to encourage imitation skills and a child’s ability to understand rhythm. This is linked to language development and body awareness skills

Throughout our daily activities we also embed theme-based learning as we explore a wide variety of topics throughout the year. This helps children learn new vocabulary and take a deeper look into a specific topic. Some of our themes this year have included Trees and Wood, The Five Senses, Tubes and Tunnels, and Gardening. We also embed pre-literacy skills and pre-math skills in our daily games and activities.

We are lucky at Chautauqua to have a big beautiful forest, pond, and school garden right outside our classroom doors. We encourage a respect and curiosity of nature through weekly forest and garden walks.