Our Early Childhood Program PDF Print E-mail

Good Shepherd School for Children is pleased to have provided early childhood education services for young children with special needs since 1967. The school was established at a time when children with special needs, under the age of five, were not served by local school districts and there were no private schools with such services. Over our 39-year history, the school has developed from a specialty preschool to a full service, inclusive early childhood education and therapy center for children of all abilities. While we take pride in our expertise regarding children who have developmental delays, we are even more proud to provide a unique program where kids can just be kids, playing side by side with friends, regardless of their abilities. It is our belief that all children have special needs, and that children have the right to go to school with friends and siblings, in their neighborhood, and in an inclusive environment.

Our Program:

Good Shepherd’s daily classroom program is based on “Creative Curriculum”, which was adopted by the school in 2001. Creative Curriculum also works in collaboration with “Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs” as published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Many people think a “curriculum” is a set of activities which the teacher “taps” into to guide the children through their day. Actually, curriculum is much more than that. When a school has a curriculum fully implemented, it sets the philosophy for how staff interact with the children, how activities for the classroom are developed, and how the teacher guides the children throughout the daily activities. A curriculum involves initial and ongoing assessment of a child’s abilities, defining a child’s growth plan, developing weekly lesson plan based on the needs of the children, strategies to implement the lesson plans, and ongoing assessment of the children and classroom success.

Creative Curriculum is one of three curriculums approved by the State of Missouri for early childhood centers seeking accreditation and approval for grant requests. Established in 1979, a primary focus for Creative Curriculum is the classroom environment and creating one which supports the teaching staff and enables the children to be engaged in positive interactions. The environment typically includes the following learning centers, as space and interest of the children allows: blocks, house corner, table toys, art, sand and water, library, music and movement, and outdoors. With the environment in place, the teacher will then develop lesson plans with a focus on four primary areas: literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. The “intensity” of what is addressed is developed according to what is developmentally appropriate for each age group. Creative Curriculum emphasizes a partnership with parents and it is a curriculum that was specifically developed for early childhood education, beginning at the infant stage. It also has established guidelines on including children with disabilities.