Special Education

Inclusion is the watchword of TEDCC, and nowhere is it more evident than in our commitment to children with special needs. Every aspect of our program is enhanced by the presence of children who stretch our knowledge of the full universe of childhood, and who give our teachers the precious opportunity to learn new ways to teach, new ways to evaluate progress and new ways to understand a wider and wider array of learners. At this time, our school enjoys the membership of children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Kabuki Syndrome, spina bifida, neurofibromatosis, hearing impairment, visual impairment, autism, Asperger syndrome, mental retardation, leukemia, sensory-integration disorder and emotional/behavioral disorder.

By integrating these youngsters into our classrooms, all of our children, families and teachers learn how our similarities far outweigh any minor differences that might separate us. Furthermore, we all learn how strength, power, productiveness, creativity, joy and intelligence thrive in the presence of even the most severe of disabilities.

The Inclusion model at TEDCC has been presented at the last two NAEYC national conferences. The first presentation, INCLUDING THE HARD TO INCLUDE, met with such positive response that we were invited to expand the presentation, include parents, and fill a three-hour slot at the 2007 meeting. Both the Director and mentor teachers have given many community-based courses and workshops, designed to help programs enroll and teach more children with special needs.