How to Choose Quality PreSchools for Children with Special Needs?

There are a number of children in this world who are born with some disabilities and all of them require special attention to their schooling and other needs. One of the first things to do before looking for any schooling or other facilities is to completely evaluate the child’s special needs and then decide on a further course of action. Once the needs of the child are established, it is then the time to go looking for the facilities available for the child’s preschool training and enroll him or her in the appropriate one.

These evaluations can be done through any number of governmental or non governmental organizations. Once the evaluations are done, the organization making this evaluation will have their own recommendations that will help with the child’s pre-schooling needs. This may include special schools for such children or integrated schools which have facilities to cater for such children with special needs.

• You can opt for a special education preschool that has all children in it requiring special instruction. The staff at such schools will have teachers specially trained to deal with and educate children who need special training and have developmental delays. The disadvantage of such a school is that the children will have very little interaction with typical normal children and this may affect their social interaction and behavior when they do go out into the real world, even if it is just a garden or play area in the public park. Opt for such a school if your child’s problem requires extensive support and an always present support system.
• There are special education preschools which will have other children with normal requirements on their rolls. Such schools are generally state funded and will have children from lower income groups in them. They will have special staff that can respond to the requirements of the special needs school student. This sort of school will provide the child with special needs the attention the child requires and will also have in them children who can provide role models for behavior and social interaction. Special needs children benefit greatly from such proximity with normal children.
• Your area may have community schools that have support services to cater to the needs of a child with special needs. Entering your child in such a school has its own distinct advantages. The school will necessarily be close by and hence would save your child any long distance busing or other travel arrangements. The child will be among children and an environment that he/she is very familiar with. So adjustments when he or she enters school are that much easier. The teacher who is a consultant for the special needs children will interact with the other teachers at regular intervals and guide them to take the steps needed for your child. You may have to pay extra charges for the services of such a teacher, but the advantages of having the child at a school nearby and in a friendly environment far outweigh the extra costs involved.
• Another alternative that you can look at, is enlisting your child in the nearest preschool in your neighborhood and also enlist him in a separate special needs program elsewhere. This combination would mean more school hours for the child and probably extra problems for transport and the like. But this has the advantage that the child would get both the special needs; education that is sorely needed, plus the constant interaction with other children which is equally important for their development.

You would need to make your own evaluation of the special needs that your child has, before enrolling the child in the preschool that will be the most beneficial. Take the advice of experts in the field before you make the final decision. And if your first choice does not work out the way you want it to, do not hesitate to make the change. After all, it is your child’s future which is at stake, so your ego can take a back seat to finding the right placement for your child.