TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Children aged 3 to 4 who qualify are eligible for developmental preschool at two locations in the Twin Falls School District.
- Developmental preschool helps 3- and 4-year-olds who might not be developing at the same rate as their peers prepare for school. As many families start to think about next school year's programs, the district encourages families to reach out early so that we can schedule screenings.
- Parents who would like to set up a screening for their child can contact the school district, Pillar Falls Elementary or Harrison Elementary
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"What comes out of the cocoon?” Rachael Hatch asked three students. “That’s right, a beautiful butterfly.”
The kids in Rachael’s preschool class are learning about The Hungry Caterpillar
They might not realize it, but they are also practicing skills that will come in handy when they start kindergarten next year.
"A lot of what I'm working on with the kiddos is learning to learn and be more prepared to learn," Rachael said.
These kids qualified for the Twin Falls School District's Developmental Preschool -- offered at two locations with a focus on individualized learning.
Research shows early intervention boosts performance in all areas of development, including social, cognitive and behavioral
"And it's not like normal preschool, but I try to make it seem as typical as possible,” Rachael said.
“We just started doing the sequence thing so… and it also includes them following directions, fine motor skills, so lots of things are included in the activity."
This is often a kids first experience in a social setting, so getting them used to interacting with other students and teachers is a big part of the program, to lessen the initial shock of the classroom setting come kindergarten.
Special Ed Consulting Teacher Angie Gilbert says it makes a huge difference.
"Many of our students exit off of IEP's moving into kindergarten,” Gilbert told Idaho News 6. “And then they're kindergarten-ready, which is so exciting.”
