Preschool Program Components
DESIRED RESULTS DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE (DRDP):
The goal of the Tulare City School District Preschool Program is to ensure that all children are making progress in the domains of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. We use the DRDP, a tool developed by the California Department of Education, to assess the development of preschool children. Children are assessed within the first 60 days of enrollment and every six months thereafter. This assessment is also used to plan and conduct developmentally appropriate activities for the children.
ENVIRONMENTAL RATING SCALE:
The TCSD Preschool Program is committed to a developmentally appropriate, joyful, nurturing, safe, active, learning environment. The program utilizes the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) to evaluate the program environment and identify clear steps for development in order to ensure a high quality setting which improves student outcomes.
ASQ/ASQ-SE
Every child enters preschool at varying levels. In order to determine how to meet individual needs of students, parents are given two questionnaires (ASQ and ASQ-SE) to fill out at the beginning of the school year. These questionnaires look at the areas of social emotional, fine motor, and language/ communication. Preschool staff use the responses from the questionnaire to determine what supports your child needs in preschool to be successful
The TCSD Preschool Program uses the California Preschool Learning Foundations to help your child grow in the following areas: social-emotional development, language & literacy development, English Language development, mathematics and science, and visual/performing arts. These foundations describe the knowledge and skills that children typically exhibit at 48 and 60 months of age.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT:
The TCSD Preschool Program is committed to quality early childhood education. We hire qualified staff that hold appropriate credentials/permits required by the State of California. We support continuous staff growth by assessing the needs of staff and providing monthly professional development sessions and activities to enhance their growth.
PROGRAM SELF-EVALUATION PROCESS:
The TCSD Preschool Program consistently strives for program improvement. The program includes an annual self-study plan that determines if the program goals/objectives are met. The self-study includes a self-assessment using Federal Program Monitoring (FPM)/ Contract Monitoring Review (CPMR) instruments in accordance with instructions specified by the Early Education and Support Division (EESD) of the program by parents. The program submits a summary of the findings of the self-study to the EESD by June 1 each year. The program modifies its goals and objectives to address any areas identified during the self-student as needing improvement.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
The TCSD Preschool Program solicits support from the community including the solicitation for donated goods and services. The program provides information to the community regarding services available. The program also invites guests from the community to present to our parents, learners, and staff.