Kirkwood Early Childhood Center

Our Early Childhood Special Education Program is an integral part of the preschool experience. KECC believes that an inclusion program approach to preschool nurtures the acceptance of diversity among all of our children. It also promotes the awareness of others as unique beings with individual knowledge bases and experiences, and with their own timetables for growth. An inclusion program brings together children with developmental delays or disabilities and their typically developing peers in a classroom taught by qualified professionals. The program supports the collaborative efforts of the administration as well as support from the early childhood staff to ensure a comprehensive and cohesive approach to service delivery benefiting Kirkwood families and our community.

Attendance schedules for children with disabilities are individually designed based on the special education needs of the child.

The preschool classrooms are designed to:

• respect the strengths of each child
• provide opportunities for practice on emerging skills
• foster individual learning and creative styles
• promote the acquisition of problem solving skills through discovery

The program provides young children a learning environment that:

• stimulates a love of learning
• encourages physical and mental activity
• facilitates involvement in experiences that demand extended critical thinking, exploration, and experimentation

Kirkwood School District offers screening and diagnostic services for children 3 to 5 years of age who live within its boundaries. For more information about these services or to request an evaluation, please call 314-213-6136 press 3.

The Kirkwood School District partners with the Special School District to provide appropriate supports for students. For a complete list of SSD services, please visit the KSD Special School District webpage.