Special Education
Early Childhood
Cherry Creek provides special education services to qualifying preschool age children through the Early Childhood Program. This includes children three to five, but not yet kindergarten age. If your child is younger than 3, please contact our Child Find office at 720-554-4001. Parents of young children, with concerns about their child's development in any area (cognitive: play/thinking, social: interactions/behavior, speech/language, fine motor, gross motor), should contact the Cherry Creek Child Find Office at 720-554-4001. Appointments are available at one of two locations, Red Hawk Ridge Elementary School and Eastridge Elementary School.
Services outlined on a child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) are based on the individual needs of the student and do not necessarily include a classroom placement. Services are incorporated into the classroom and supports may be delivered from some or all of the following: general early childhood educator, teaching assistant, early childhood special educator, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, mental health, and/or physical therapist. Classrooms range from an inclusive preschool class (for students three by October 1), intensive support paired with an inclusive room, and "Young threes" classrooms (for students who turn three after October 1).
In addition to the special education services, the Cherry Creek Early Childhood Program includes a number of other early education efforts. Funds from Head Start, Colorado Preschool/Kindergarten Project, and tuition-paying families are all blended with special education funds to support classrooms. The preschools are located at the elementary schools; however, not all elementary schools have a preschool as part of their location. Parents interested in the preschool programs can contact the Early Childhood Education Office at Eastridge Elementary School, 11777 E. Wesley Ave., Aurora, Colo. 80014, 720-554-4050. The various funding sources are described below.
Classrooms serve students from all funding sources.
For information on these Early Childhood Education Programs, call (720)554-4050.
- Multi-aged classes for children - 3 (by Sept. 15) - 5 years of age
- 2 1/2 hour classes, A.M. or P.M.
- Age-appropriate curriculum
- Monthly tuition
- Classes offered in district schools
- For children 3-5 years of age
- Therapy sessions, classroom sessions, or consultations
- Children staffed through Child Find
- Classroom sessions, integrated with Tuition-Based
- For children 3-5 years of age
- Considered to be "at-risk" for school difficulties
- Limited space available
Classroom sessions integrated with Tuition-Based
For children 3-5 years of age
Families meet low-income guidelines
Limited space available
- Screening, evaluation, and referral service
- Provided free, by the school district, to identify educational and developmental delays in children from birth to 5 years of age.
TEAM
Daniel Wray, Director of Special Education
720-554-4478
Evelyn Sickel, Coordinator of Special Education - Early Childhood Education
720-554-4057
Jenny Gould, Special Services Secretary
720-554-4055
Mary Dove, Team Leader - Child Find
720-554-4002
Debbie Burham, Child Find Secretary
720-554-4001
RESOURCES
Local
Early Childhood Connections for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
Quick access to a coordinated, interagency, community-based service system
Early Childhood Connections of Arapahoe-Douglas Counties (ECCAD)
A community team of parents and professionals working in partnership to support a comprehensive and coordinated early care and education system
Parent-to-Parent of Colorado
Connecting families of children and adults with disabilities or special health care needs in communities across Colorado
www.p2p-co.org
Children First
National
Zero to Three
Child Development Institute
Planet Esme's
Devoted to getting great children's books into the hands of great children
www.planetesme.com
Do2Learn
Activities to promote independence in individuals with special learning needs
www.do2learn.com
Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers
Teachers And Families
Teachers And Families is a resource to build educational connections between children, their parents, and their teachers, Includes content for parents, preschoolers, K-12 students, and classroom teachers.
www.teachersandfamilies.com
Parent-to-Parent of Colorado
Connecting families of children and adults with disabilities or special health care needs in communities across Colorado.
www.p2p-co.org
Children First
Works to protect children by strengthening families
www.familiesFirstColorado.org