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A Few Clouds Kids First adding a preschool
Preschool Kids is for children with and without special needs
Kids First Evaluation & Advocacy Center, Inc., a Salisbury-based agency that has provided early-intervention and preschool special education services in Nassau and Suffolk counties since 1997, is now offering an educational opportunity that they say is one-of-a-kind — a private preschool combining the expertise of various specialists aimed for both typically developing children and those with special needs.
For nearly two decades, Kids First has offered services to children up to age 5 as well as some older children with specific needs. The approximately 80-member staff comprises master’s-level professionals ranging from special education teachers to speech pathologists to occupational and physical therapists to psychologists to social workers.
A special education teacher, with the support of those specialists, will lead the four-day preschool. Beginning Sept. 8, it will take place in the rear of the Leon J. Camp Salisbury Center — the location of its therapeutic offices since 2002. The building also serves as the administrative center for the East Meadow School District.
Entering the world of special education is a difficult process for new parents who have never had to deal with the complex, systematic procedures that come next when their child is determined to need services.
Kids First helps ease that transition by offering evaluations for parents who are concerned about their child’s development. The evaluations are county- and state-funded and are of no cost to parents.
If a child is determined to not require services, Kids First will make referrals for community based programs and services. If they do meet eligibility, the evaluator and family will meet with county or school officials to form a treatment plan, based on the diagnosis. “The objective is to get kids up to their full potential through kindergarten,” said Dawn Plumitallo, the founder and director of Kids First.
But in some instances, a child deemed to have a behavioral, language or learning issue may not meet the specific criteria required for special education services, which could cause a quagmire for parents.
