by Broadreach Family & Community Services
May 13, 2010

We are thrilled to announce that Broadreach Family & Community Services, in partnership with SAD#3, is offering an Early Childhood Inclusive Education Program (ECIP) for preschool aged children at the Walker School this coming September.  The program‘s operation of hours will be Monday through Friday , 9 to 3 with before and after care available to families needing extended care.  Broadreach offers subsidized tuition to eligible families with support from the Maine Department of Health & Human Services.

Similar to some of our other Broadreach Preschool Sites, this new classroom’s curriculum will be designed to meet the individual developmental and educational goals of the children enrolled.   Our caring, certified, experienced teachers plan the curriculum around the child’s unique needs, interests and strengths.  The classroom will be well-equipped with a variety of educational materials and toys to stimulate and challenge children.  The children will have the opportunity through the planned play activities to develop the skills necessary to enter kindergarten ready to succeed.   The daily storytelling, book sharing, song and movement activities nurture the young child’s language development and his or her first steps toward learning to read.  And as they attend school at the Walker Elementary School during their preschool year, they become familiar with the wonderful Walker School staff, adjust to the routines of the school and adapt to the idea of being in the Walker facility. In addition, they will use the outside play area and the gym. They may even be invited to participate in various reading activities with a ‘reading buddy’ from one of the higher grades. The daily routine encourages each child’s development of self discipline, self esteem and creativity. 

The ECIP program at Walker School will offer children and their families:

• A rich , early educational experience
• Program licensed by the State of Maine, Department of Health and Human Services
• Certified Early Childhood educators
• Nutritious meals and snacks
• Early language and literacy enriched High Scope curriculum
• On going screening and assessments to measure the skills children are gaining
• Indoor and outdoors activities
• Preschool/ elementary school/parent partnership that supports a seamless transition  to kindergarten
• Services to children with special learning and developmental needs

Broadreach is a private, non profit agency and has provided high quality services for young children and their families since 1983 in Waldo County.  Don’t miss this amazing opportunity! For more information about enrolling your child into this program, please contact Mary Bailey, Early Childhood Education Programs Director, at mbailey@brmaine.org or 338-2200 ext.304.  Broadreach is very excited about this opportunity to come to the Liberty area and be a part of your child’s early years.

Press release from MADSEC

The Maine Association of Services for Children with Disabilities( MADSEC) gives awards  each year to outstanding individuals in several areas of education:  parent/advocate, special education teacher, paraprofessional. director of special services, regular education teacher and therapist.   

            The recipient of MADSEC’s’ regular education teacher of the year for 2009-2010 is Karen Keniston of Searsport.  Karen is a preschool teacher who works in the RSU20 four year old program at Searsport Elementary School and in the early childhood Inclusive Program which is run by Broadreach Community and Family Services and hosted at Searsport Elementary School.  Karen has been in preschool education since 1993.  She holds a B.S. in elementary education and has had hundreds of hours of training in early literacy and child development.  Karen is a strong teacher leader with immense expertise in preschool education ,and more specifically, in including children with disabilities with their typically developing peers.  Karen has extensive training with the Early reading First, High Scope, OWLS programs and provides early literacy instruction to all her students.  Karen is gifted at being able to individualize and demonstrates that each child, no matter how challenged, can be included in the classroom community.  Karen collaborates well with the variety of consultants and therapists who move in and out of her classroom supporting her inclusion efforts. She supervises several paraprofessionals and provides them wit superb leadership which fosters a high quality tapestry of  instruction and interventions which few preschool program can emulate.  Karen is described by one of her student’s parent as flexible, adaptive, compassionate, communicative.  This parent marvels at her ability to create and modify lessons that allow her child to access the general curriculum.  Karen sets the bar for her colleagues at both  the preschool and elementary level to strive for in making their classrooms accessible and accommodating for all children.  In Karen’s classroom all children can and do learn and have abilities not disabilities!

by Mary Bailey

I want to bring to your attention a wonderful event  that is happening this coming Sunday. May 2nd The Belfast Lions Club is hosting their Annual Spring Brunch and the proceeds will be helping us bring life, wood chips and large toys, back to our ECIP playground! We are very excited and quite honored, to be the recipient of this event. So please share this wonderful delicious event  with other family members, friends and neighbors. The Lions Club is seeking food donation items to help offset the cost of putting on this event. If you would like to help and support in this manner. please call Julie Horton at Mill Lane 338-0029.

Belfast Lions Club Brunch
Sunday May 2, 2010  8:00 am to 11:00 am  at the Waldo County Shrine Club, Belfast, Maine
You won’t go away hungry! Adults $8.00  Children 12 and under $3.00

News from our Early Childhood Inclusive Program and PreK programs will be here.