SEWALL CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

PRESCHOOL - CHILDREN, AGES TWO AND ONE-HALF TO FIVE, WITH AND WITHOUT SPECIAL NEEDS, ARE TAUGHT IN PRESCHOOL CLASSES BASED ON AN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION MODEL. SESSIONS ARE FOUR DAYS WEEKLY FOR HALF A DAY AT EIGHT LOCATIONS. THERAPIES ARE INTEGRATED INTO CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES IN THE MOST NATURAL WAY POSSIBLE. THE "READ, PLAY AND LEARN" CURRICULUM PROVIDES THE BASIS FOR SEWALL'S EARLY INTERVENTION IN PRESCHOOL, AND IS IMPLEMENTED IN A TRANS-DISCIPLINARY, PLAY-BASED APPROACH. THE TRANS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH ENCOMPASSES COGNITIVE, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL, SENSORIMOTOR, COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE PERSPECTIVES. DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IS ENCOURAGED ACROSS DOMAINS. THE CURRICULUM FOCUSES ON INCORPORATING ACTIVITIES THAT MOTIVATE EACH CHILD, AND AS A RESULT OF THE TEACHERS' ROLE AS FACILITATOR, EACH CHILD HAS INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. THE TEAM, INCLUDING AN EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER, TEACHING ASSISTANT, EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATOR, OCCUPATIONAL OR PHYSICAL THERAPIST, SPEECH/LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST AND MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, PLAN THE CURRICULUM ON A WEEKLY BASIS. USING FAMILIAR STORIES, THE TEAM PROVIDES A THEME-BASED APPROACH TO ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT EACH CHILD'S GROWTH DEVELOPMENT. THE STORYBOOKS REFLECT FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY. CHILDREN ENGAGE IN A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES SUITED TO THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL ABILITIES AND ALL RELATING TO THE SAME CONCEPT. REPETITION OF THESE CONCEPTS ACROSS NUMEROUS AND DIVERSE SITUATIONS ENCOURAGES THE GENERALIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.

HEAD START DISABILITY SERVICES - SEWALL PROVIDES DISABILITY SERVICES TO CHILDREN ENROLLED IN HEAD START CLASSROOMS THROUGHOUT DENVER. SEWALL'S TEAM OF SPECIALISTS CARRIES OUT ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO CONDUCT OBSERVATIONS, SCREEN AND ASSESS CHILDREN AS WELL AS DEVELOP INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PLANS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN ALL DENVER HEAD START SITES. AFTER THEIR ASSESSMENT, THE TEAM CREATES AN APPROPRIATE PLAN OF EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR THE CHILD.