Early Entrance

Christ the Teacher Catholic School Division provides educational programming for students with specific disabilities (visual impairment, deaf and hard of hearing, intellectual disability, multiple disability, orthopedic disability, and chronic health impairment) beginning at age three if their needs are unable to be met by other community agencies or licensed early learning programs. The procedures for accessing early entrance programming are:

• The parents/guardians contact the Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports to indicate their wish to enroll their child in an educational program.
• The Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports arrange to meet with the parents/guardians to discuss the child’s needs and programming. The parents/guardians are asked to arrange to have copies of any diagnostic and program reports forwarded to the school division.
• The Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports provides the parent/guardian with information on the available program(s). This may include:
  • a school division pre-kindergarten program
  • a community preschool
  • a program within a child care facility.
• The Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports makes arrangements for the parents/guardians and child to visit the prospective program.
• Following the visit to the program, the Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports arranges a transition meeting involving:
  • the parents
  • the Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports
  • personnel from the receiving program. If the program is located within a school, the personnel involved will include the pre-kindergarten and the student support teacher and may also include the principal or vice principal.
  • current or previous service providers (e.g.. early childhood interventionist, speech-language pathologist).
• The transition meeting provides the opportunity to share information on the child’s current needs and to begin planning for the child’s enrolment in the program. A starting date is agreed upon.
• Following the meeting, the Coordinator of Student Achievement & Supports makes recommendation to the Superintendent of Education regarding personnel needs, transportation, and any equipment needs. If a child is enrolled in a community preschool or child care facility, a student support teacher is assigned to provide assistance in program planning and implementation.
• When the child begins the program, the teacher, student support teacher, parents/guardians and any others directly involved meet to develop an Inclusion & Intervention Plan.