Program Descriptions
Integrated Pre-School
The Mount Arlington Board of Education offers an integrated preschool experience for residents of the community between the ages of three and five years old. The program seeks to provide a safe and nurturing learning experience in which children can play and learn. Special needs and typically developing children are placed together in an integrated learning environment that utilizes a developmental approach. Children are immersed in a variety of planned activities that promote readiness skills, language, and social/emotional growth. Research has shown that all students benefit from being in this type of program.
The integrated preschool program is held at the Edith M. Decker School from 8:20 to 1:30 Monday-Thursday and 8:20 to 12:00 on Friday. The daily schedule includes circle time, small and large group activities, centers, snack, story time, and teacher-facilitated play time. Learning activities are based upon the New Jersey Department of Education’s Preschool and Teaching Learning Expectations and are responsive to the individual needs and abilities of each child.
The classes will be taught by a dual-certified teacher in Special Education and P-3 General Education. Teacher aides will provide additional support as needed.
There will be tuition for non-classified students. A monthly fee of $400 will be charged. Non-classified children need to be toilet-trained upon entry into the program.
For more information, please contact Laurie Dachowski at 973-398-4400 (ext. 121). If you are interested in enrolling your child, please email Laurie Dachowski at ldachowski@mtarlingtonk8.org with your name, your child’s name, your child’s date of birth, address, and a phone number where you can be reached.
*Entry to the program for non-classified kids is based on a lottery. The lottery for next year’s program is held on a live Google Meet in March.
LLD (Language Learning Disabilities)
The Language Learning Disabilities (LLD) program targets students who are in need of intensive instruction in order to make meaningful progress. This includes but is not limited to students with moderate to severe dyslexia, dyscalculia, and language-based learning disabilities. The Language and Learning Disabilities classes are academically focused programs that utilize general education materials, supplemented or replaced by appropriate resources as deemed appropriate for the individual needs of the students. All curricular areas, including math, reading/language arts, social studies, and science, are taught in the program. Additionally, consistent reinforcement and modeling of appropriate social and pragmatic behavior are a part of the learning experience.
STEPS (Striving Toward the Exceptional Possibilities for Students)
The Mount Arlington Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program based on the individual and developmental needs of students with disabilities, with a student-to-staff ratio of no more than 3:1. The STEPS program provides an appropriate education in a small group setting, with the opportunity for students to interact with their peers and community. This specialized program is required in order to meet the varied and intensive needs of the student through the goals and objectives as established in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The STEPS classroom utilizes research-based programs and incorporates the resources available to all students of the Mount Arlington Public School District. Resources are modified to fit the specific needs of the students enrolled in the program. The classroom also uses research-based strategies to conduct individual and group instruction, support skill acquisition, and the development of behavioral skills. Individual assessments are used to assess student strengths and needs, which inform programming decisions. Collected data tracks performance and progress toward goal and objective achievement. The program is supported by a board-certified behavior analyst, speech-language specialists, as well as an occupational and physical therapist. They all collaborate with the classroom teacher and support staff to enhance language, motor, and social skills. Community-based instruction is also integrated into the STEPS curriculum. Through this instruction, students gain meaningful access to experiences that directly support their academic, functional, and vocational growth. The district reviews the New Jersey Department of Education’s Autism Program Quality Indicators-R to monitor and evaluate the quality of programming. https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/programs/autism/qualityindicators.shtml