Developmental Screenings

Developmental Screenings

Children enrolled in our program will participate in a developmental screening within 90 days of the start of the school year (or the first day of the student’s enrollment).  The Brigance Early Childhood Screening will provide quick, easy, and accurate screening of skills that are critical predictors of school success, including physical development, language, academic/cognitive, self-help, and social-emotional skills.  The goal is to identify urgent needs, and to determine whether the child should be referred to a specialist for further evaluation to verify developmental or health risks.

If a screening indicates a concern with the child, a referral is made for services after a discussion with the family.  Families can be referred to Jefferson County Public Schools Exceptional Child Education Placement office, First Steps, or other local agencies.  We welcome therapists to come to our school and work with individual children as needed.

If any child has an IEP (Individualized Education Program), St. Paul’s Preschool will make every effort to support the child in following the IEP.  The IEP is meant to address each child’s unique learning issues and includes specific educational goals.

St. Paul’s Preschool does work with several agencies that offer in-house optional screenings at your request.  These screenings occur in the fall and permission slips are handed out prior to the screening dates.

  • Heuser Speech and Hearing Institute provides assessment in speech and hearing.  These screenings are paid for by the parent at a nominal fee.  Results are made available within a week to ten days after the screening.
  • KidSight provides vision screenings.  KidSight is a free screening offered by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.  This screening provides immediate feedback and results are sent home the same day.

Kentucky Early Childhood Standards

Kentucky Early Childhood Standards

The Kentucky Early Childhood Standards are designed to reflect the range of developmental abilities typical of young children, from birth through four years of age.  The critical knowledge and skills learned in the early years are presented in developmental domains for children Birth to Three Years of age, and in content areas for Three and Four Year Old children.  This content for learning is intended to support early care and education professionals, as well as parents, in planning experiences to promote progress along the developmental continuum.

The Kentucky Early Childhood Standards are available to download from this web site:

https://kidsnow.ky.gov/professionals/Documents/kentucky-ec-standards.pdf

For further information, contact Barbara A. Singleton, Ed.D., Division of Early Childhood Development, Kentucky Department of Education, bsinglet@kde.state.ky.us or or 502-564-7056.

Kentucky AllSTARS

Kentucky AllSTARS

St. Paul’s Preschool is a proud participant in the Kentucky AllSTARS program.  It gives us great pleasure to see that we meet and exceed standards far beyond the basic standards set forth by the state licensing program.  Studies show that children who attend programs with high quality early learning environments have better math, language, and social skills.  Currently, St. Paul’s Preschool is a Level 4 STAR rated facility.

  • AllSTARS Level One is achieved by meeting regulatory requirements.
  • AllSTARS Level Two is achieved by completing a set of required domains and standards.
  • AllSTARS Levels Three though Five must meet the requirements for Levels One and Two while meeting other standards from a large menu to show quality.  Additionally, these AllSTARS Levels must undergo an environmental observation by a Cabinet-approved rater.

What does a Kentucky AllSTARS rating mean for your child?

STAR rated centers and family child care homes are showing their commitment to quality by participating in Kentucky AllSTARS.

  • Kentucky AllSTARS domains and standards are based on quality indicators: Family and Community Engagement, Classroom and Instructional Quality, Staff Qualifications and Professional Development, and Administrative and Leadership Practices.
  • Any provider participating at a Level Three or higher has completed an evaluation of the program using a nationally standardized tool, the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS).  (Harms, Clifford, and Cryer)
  • AllSTARS providers have access to technical assistance coaches who provide guidance in the areas of health and safety, quality improvement, professional development, and training.

What difference does quality make?

  • Better parent-child relationships
  • Greater thinking skills
  • Better attention skills
  • Enhanced academic performance
  • Better relationship with peers
  • Greater chance for completing school and attending college

Please visit the Kentucky AllSTARS website for more information.  https://kentuckyallstars.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx