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The two preschool programs that we offer at our Center School in Falmouth, Maine are our Preschool and our Communication Garden programs.
Our Preschool (Printable brochure) program offers a language-enriched developmentally-based program of learning for deaf and hard-of-hearing children ages 3 to 5 years old. It is rich in experiences which foster and nurture the child's language development and sense of self. IFSP goals are followed in the daily plans in Preschool. It is our belief that children learn through play. The preschool schedule provides many opportunities for children to interact and learn through play, in structured, center-based and unstructured
settings.
The ASL Preschool is a bilingual environment, offering children American Sign Language (ASL) as the language of daily interactions and communication in the classroom, and English in print, as developmentally appropriate. Both languages overlap in many ways and one often supports the other. Preschool-aged siblings are welcome to join the preschool depending on space availability.
The Sound 'n' Sign Preschool utilizes spoken/written English and American Sign Language (ASL) as two separate languages. Children spend a portion of the morning in the ASL Preschool, then move to the Sound 'n' Sign classroom. Children are encouraged to use auditory, listening and oral language skills. Expressive and receptive ASL growth and development are also fostered.
Our Communication Garden (Printable brochure) program provides a language-enriched, developmentally appropriate program which focuses on helping children of diverse ages, cultural backgrounds and developmental abilities learn to communicate through listening and speaking. We strive to embed each individual child's IFSP/IEP goals and objectives throughout routine, child-initiated, and planned learning activities. The children who attend are three to five-year olds with a variety of speech, language, and communication
skills. Some are experiencing delays and are receiving developmental therapy services. Others are typically developing and act as social language models.
The classroom environment has been adapted to minimize background noise and reverberation. In this setting, children with a range of language and communication styles are guided to play, interact, and appreciate the unique talents that each brings to our community of learns. Our curriculum is guided by the individual needs of the children, the Maine State Pre-school Standards and the Creative Curriculum. Our low child-to-teacher ratio (5:1) ensures each child receives individual attention and our play-based program promotes learning through active participation.
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