Children ages birth to five who have been identified as having a developmental delay or other disability are eligible to recieve special educaiton services through Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) programs. Services are provided to families with infants and toddlers aged birth to three years through Early Steps. The Webster Parish Early Childhood Special Education Program serves 3-5 year old students who are identified as having a developmental delay. The delays are identified through an evaluation by a multi-disciplinary team. A child is eligible if his/her developmental delay or condition meets criteria for an exceptionality specified in the Louisiana Department of Education Pupil Appraisal Handbook.
Program decisions are made on an individual basis by the IEP Team at the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting according to the needs of the child in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) as mandated by best practices and federal laws.
The Early Childhood Special Education Program provides early intervention services to help meet the social, emotional, physical, communicative, and intellectual developmental needs of young students. The program seeks to improve each child’s abilities through developmentally appropriate practices with activity-based instruction. Various classroom experiences may include large group activities such as story time, thematic units, music, large motor development, and small group center-time activities such as art, fine motor development, blocks, housekeeping, library, science, and table toys. Appropriate hygiene instruction, snack time, and rest time are also included.
Links:
Early Childhood Transition Process
Contact:
Connie Craft
Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator
(318) 377-7052