Preschool

Preschool Teachers                                                 Email

Ms. Graham (ECSE)                                                  egraham@salem.k12.va.us
Mrs. Coleman (VPI)                                                  kcoleman@salem.k12.va.us

ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education)

The Early Childhood Special Education Program at South Salem provides services to preschool children living in the city of Salem who are identified with significant developmental delays in at least one of five developmental areas. The five areas evaluated for eligibility determination are personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, and cognitive. Children may be served in a variety of settings, including consultation and intervention in local preschool setting, home-based services, center-based services in the classrooms at South Salem, or a combination of each. This program provides developmentally appropriate curriculums that are based on the individual needs of the children enrolled. Currently, the High Scope curriculum is being used in these settings. This curriculum encourages active learning to occur in developmentally appropriate settings with developmentally appropriate materials. An Individual Educational Plan (IEP) is developed for each child who is determined eligible for the program. This plan identifies the services each child will receive, including related services such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and vision services, as well as how the services will be provided. Developmental goals are also identified for each child on their IEPs. Children are identified for services through the eligibility process, which includes a developmental and psychological evaluation, a medical and social history report, and any other related service evaluations recommended by the child study committee. Children must have at least a 25% delay of skills in one of the developmental areas to qualify for services.

VPI (Virginia Preschool Initiative)

The Virginia Preschool Initiative is a high-quality Pre-K program for four-year-old children at Salem City Public Schools and is free to all eligible students. Children engage in enriching educational experiences, explore learning materials and new ideas, and build their skills as they prepare to enter kindergarten. The Pre-K curriculum is research-based, fosters the development of literacy and math skills, and builds social-emotional foundations for lifetime learning. Each class has up to 18 children with a certified teacher and full-time instructional assistant. The program follows the elementary school schedule Monday through Friday.