"Serving young children with special needs and their families for 28 years."

Dear Families,

Some of you begin a brand new experience of sending your child to school; some of you return with your child to a school they have grown to love and are familiar with. To all of our families, returning and new, welcome to the South Orangetown Early Childhood Program.

It certainly has been a warm and humid summer. I hope you have spent some time relaxing and enjoying the outdoors. The summer is passing quickly, and we will soon find ourselves beginning another school year. Anticipation, hope, eagerness, and even uncertainty all combine to make the opening of school such an exciting occurrence.

We would like to invite you to an Open House on Tuesday, September 2nd for all children and their families. The three year olds in the morning session can come between 9:30-10:30 and the four year olds in the afternoon session can come between 12:45-1:45. You and your child are welcome to drop in for a visit anytime during this hour. You will have the opportunity to meet the teacher and visit in the classroom.

All of us at ECP are committed to providing your child with the best possible educational experience. We look forward to your involvement and participation in our program this year. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach our school secretary, Louise Figueroa, at 680-1326. I am looking forward to a productive and exciting year.

Sincerely,

Jeannine Carr Coordinator-ECP
Assistant Principal-WOS
  Early Childhood Program
140 Lester Drive, Tappan, NY  10983

School Hours: Pre-K
AM:  9:00 am - 11:30 a.m. 
PM:  12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
 

NEW!  Early Childhood Electronic Email Service
 Provide your email below to receive electronic updates regarding events and news in the ECP building.

Email:  

In keeping with our security procedures we want to remind anyone who wishes to enter any SOCSD building that you will be required to present a photo ID to the security guard prior to entering.  Your cooperation and understanding is appreciated as the safety of our children is our number one concern.

 

Early Childhood Comprehensive Services involve two components:

  • Committee on Pre-School Special Education

  • Full Service Pre-School Program at William O. Schaefer

Early Childhood Services

Committee on Pre-School Special Education

The CPSE is appointed by the Board of Education. Currently, the South Orangetown Central School District oversees eligibility, program planning and services for approximately eighty pre-school children each year. For more information, please call Dr. Beth Jaret, CPSE Chairperson 680-1324. The Chairperson will help you select an evaluation center, set a meeting date to discuss evaluation results and plan accordingly what services, if any, are warranted. There is no out-of-pocket expense to parents for this service.

Early Childhood Program at William O. Schaefer

South Orangetown offers a full complement of programs for seventy-eight pre-school students at William O. Schaefer Elementary School in our Pre K - grade 1 building. This county funded program is open to resident and non-resident students. South Orangetown youngsters enjoy attending the same school from Pre-K through first grade. Our staff assists in planning for your child's smooth transition into kindergarten.


Philosophy of Pre-School Program

Our program aims to educate pre-kindergarten children in order to meet their broad educational needs. We focus on a developmentally appropriate curriculum addressing the areas of cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children with special needs. Children have the opportunity to explore, to create and to play. Play is their work! An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is designed by the Committee on Pre-School Special Education (CPSE) to address your child’s needs. Related services of counseling, speech, occupational therapy and physical therapy are available and pushed into classrooms whenever possible.
 



Program Staff

Our highly trained staff includes three special education teachers, one regular education teacher, teacher assistants, teacher aides, speech/language therapists, a psychologist, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a certified occupational therapist assistant, school nurse, program coordinator, and one secretary. The staff uses a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching. Team members use their special knowledge to create thematic instructional units, mindful of developmentally appropriate practices and State Educational Department standards. We are the only program of its kind in a Rockland County public school.


Program Schedule

Opportunities are available for 3 and 4 year old students. Our pre-kindergarten classes are half-day, five days per week. Class size can be as small as 12 and as large as 18 students. Our integrated class brings 4-year old children with disabilities together with their 4-year old non-disabled peers. These general education students are selected through the Child Resources of Rockland as part of the Universal Pre-K Program.  The curriculum is designed to prepare students for kindergarten and beyond using hands-on-experience learning. All programs are designed to engage children, their parents and extended family members.


 
 Services

Our related services include speech/language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and play therapy/counseling. In addition, parent workshops are available. An integrated language and social skills curriculum are available in the classrooms.

Referrals to ECP Program

Children are referred to the Early Childhood Program “ECP” by the Committee on Pre-School Special Education from the student’s home school district.  For additional information please telephone (845) 680-1326, Jeannine Carr, Coordinator.

Mailing Address

South Orangetown Early Childhood Program
at William O. Schaefer Elementary School
140 Lester Drive
Tappan, NY 10983

Early Childhood Program Staff

Pre-School Staff

  • Jeannine Carr, Coordinator

  • Dr. Beth Jaret, Psychologist

  • Kate Chichetti, Pre-K  Special Education Teacher

  • Kerry Conti, Pre-K  Special Education Teacher

  • Mary McCoy, Pre-K Regular Education Teacher

  • Camile Viola, Pre-K  Special Education Teacher

  • Alice Black, Teaching Assistant

  • Joan Hynes, Teaching Assistant

  • Donna Barrese, 1:1 Teacher Aide

  • Margaret Reilly, 1:1 Teacher Aide

  • Gail McNiff, Nurse

Related Service Staff

  • Allison Beer, Speech/Language Therapist

  • Lynn Larson-Casey, Occupational Therapist

  • Rosemary Delgado, Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant

  • Ellen Kriegel, Speech/Language Therapist

  • Mary Kate O’Callaghan, Physical Therapist

  • Randi Lapp, Speech/Language Therapist (Leave replacement for Allison Beer)

CPSE Chairperson

  • Dr. Beth Jaret, CPSE Chairperson

Clerical Staff

  • Mary Ellen Clarke, Secretary for CPSE

  • Louise Figueroa, Secretary for ECP School Program

Transportation for the Early Childhood Program

Student Bus:  371-0800, ask for Pedro