Waterloo RECC
Program Descriptions
The Office of Early Intervention Services within the Howard County Public School System has a mission to foster learning and development in young children through excellence in early education and partnerships with staff, families, and community members.
The RECC program at Waterloo Elementary serves children three through five in the following programs:
•1 Multiple Intense Needs Classroom for preschool/kindergarten (MINC-PK) children with disabilities and typically developing peers.
• 1 Multiple Intense Needs Classroom for early learners (MINC-EL) with disabilities and typically developing peers.
• 3 half-day pre-school for children with disabilities and typically developing peers.
• 1 half-day pre-kindergarten for children who meet specific eligibility criteria.
• 1 kindergarten inclusion program with extended day services.
Early Intervention Services
Early intervention services are designed to provide a program of educational intervention directly to the student with disabilities from birth to five years of age, to the parent, or both. Additional information regarding early intervention programs is available from the Service Coordinator for Early Intervention Services (410-313-7017). More detailed information can be found on the Howard County website http://www.hcpss.org/special.
Continuum of Services
A continuum of service is designed to meet the individual needs of each child and family. The following services are provided based on the child’s individual needs.
- Special Instruction or Special Education
- Speech-Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Psychological Services
- Assistive Technology
What are the Services?
Team members provide instruction and therapy services using techniques that combine sound principles of early childhood special education, developmentally appropriate practices, and applied behavioral analysis. Active learning, child choice, highly motivating materials, and positive behavioral supports are key to facilitating children's growth in developmental areas. Personalized programs are developed by school team members and parents to accelerate children's development of language, literacy, mathematics, social interaction, and motor skills.
Preschool-Kindergarten Program
The Preschool-Kindergarten Program is a part of the Howard County Public School System's Special Education Program. The program serves children who are three through five years of age who have a disability or developmental delay. Three to Five year old children receive special education and related services in four or five day preschool classes with typically developing peers. The Pre-Kindergarten program is for children who meet specific eligibility criteria. For further information on eligibility, philosophy, and curriculum, you may visit the Howard County website http://www.hcpss.org/schools/prek/. Kindergarten age children generally receive services in team taught general education kindergarten classes.
Multiple Intense Needs Classes for Preschool/Kindergarten
Preschool and kindergarten age children, who need a more intensive program of services to meet the IEP goals and objectives, receive services through Multiple Intense Needs Classes (MINC-PK). These classes are designed for children who present with moderate to severe delays in cognition, communication, social interaction, and behavior. Approximately five to six children with disabilities and five to six typically developing children are included in each class.
Instruction is provided in group with typically developing peers and individually. Family members actively participate in the children's intervention programs.
Multiple Intense Needs Classes for Early Learners
The MINC-EL pilot program is designed for children who present with severe delays in functional communication, engagement and social interaction. The MINC-EL provides a 1:1 staff-to-child with IEP ration, intensive support from the autism and related disorders specialist, and a high rate of systematically designed opportunities for the child to initiate and respond to motivating conditions. Specific services and placement are based on IEP goals and accommodations and modifications needed for the child to access the curriculum. The MINC-EL program is in the pilot phase through the 2006-2007 school year.
Family Support Network
Family Support Network Coordinators are available to provide information, support, and linkages to community resources for families of children from birth through five years of age. In addition, they coordinate a parent training program as well as a parent mentor program which links "experienced" parents of children with disabilities with those parents of children who are new to the programs.
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