Wheatley Early Childhood Center offers a preschool program for children who are three or four years old who were identified as eligible for special education services after a developmentally appropriate screening and assessment. Wheatley is one of seven early childhood centers in the county to serve young students with disabilities. Assignment of the early childhood school site is based on geographic boundaries for transportation. The program is half-day for three-year-olds and full-day for four-year-olds.
Students enrolled in the Wheatley program have an Individual Education Program (IEP) developed by a multidisciplinary team to address the strengths as well as weaknesses identified in the child's individual assessment. The instructional program utilizes the early childhood curriculum which focuses on the seven developmental domains of social, adaptive, fine motor, gross motor, communication, and cognitive. Wheatley utilizes the Maryland State Department of Education pre-approved curriculum themes modified to meet the instruction needs of the students. Families are encouraged to support the curriculum theme by reviewing target vocabulary at home, practicing the skills identified in the child's IEP through the theme, reviewing the designated nursery rhymes, and reading stories related to the instructional theme.
Services for preschool special education students are delivered in a transdisciplinary model. Under this model professionals and paraprofessionals share their expertise in developing daily and long-term instructional plans for the students. On the first and third Wednesday of each month the transdisciplinary teams meet to plan for the students. Parents are invited to participate in the planning activities.
The screening and assessment of students is completed free of charge as a part of the Child Find process. Parents or guardians with developmental concerns about their child may contact the Child Find Office to request a screening by calling (301) 808-2719. All areas of developmental concern are assessed including: Adaptive; Fine Motor; Gross Motor; Communication; Social; and Cognitive.
