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2016 EDUCATION MAGAZINE
LINCOLN DAILY
NEWS.COMMarch 1, 2016 Page 5
Todd Spellman
Lincoln Daily News
F
or over a generation
now, there has been
rising concern for the overall
“readiness” of students who
start school in kindergarten.
What “readiness” means
varies only slightly across the
journals and research, and
includes, but is not limited
to knowing basic colors,
recognizing numbers, letters,
and shapes, being able to sit
for a period of time and be
attentive to instruction or a
story, as well as some specific
large and fine motor skills.
Parents have been using
pre-schools for a long time
to help make sure their kids
are ready. It is important to
note also, that not all daycare
options have the ability to
help prepare these young
students for what they will see
in kindergarten.
This has given rise to some
very intentional programs
in the school districts. The
schools are being proactive
with the kids in their districts
to try and assess younger
kids for the expected ongoing
development - physically,
academically and socially.
The term ‘Early Childhood
Education’ (ECE) has both
a general and a technical
meaning. Generally, it refers
to all deliberate, structured
learning by children age
five and under; specifically,
students ages 3 to 5 that
have been identified as
having a disability within
the educational setting.
Students who qualify for
ECE generally come through
Early Intervention (birth to
three years old), pre-school
screenings, or an evaluation as
requested by a parent.
In the past, students in ECE
have been educated in a self-
contained classroom.
Chester-East Lincoln (CEL) is
having positive results with a
new model of early childhood
education. This is the second
year they have combined the
Pre-K and ECE classes.
The Pre-K class has been
made up of students who
enrolled voluntarily whose
performance was in the
expected range for their age.
According to Ashley Aper,
CEL’s Special Education
Administrator, the combined
three-year-old class and four-
year-old class are each about
half Pre-K and half ECE
students.
Aper explains that, “The
program services three
year olds two days a week
and focuses on routines,
school behaviors, social
development, and some
academic skills. The 4-year-
old students attend three days
a week and continue focusing
on the same concepts as the
3-year-old students with more
emphasis on pre-academic
skills.”
Aper and CEL’s teacher for
this combined class, Holly
Grasch, are excited about the
progress they have made in
the short time they have been
doing this program.
Grasch explains, “I really like
the blended aspect, and at this
point I don’t think I’d ever
want to change it back. The
Pre-K students are becoming
role models for the ECE kids.
So they, the ECE students,
now have someone to look
up to and have positive role
models for expected behavior
in class and help with
academic skills from peers
who have mastered it already.”
Chester-East Lincoln:
Preschool children ‘not quite ready’
better prepared by blended classes
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