Rockwood Schools Get Kids Into Kindergarten

As parents know, children can learn at an amazing pace.

Early learning opportunities combined with positive parent interaction can only be good for any child, including those with special needs.

Families with children who may have learning challenges are eligible for special opportunities through the Rockwood School District. The public school district has programs to assess and address disabilities or developmental delays that hamper learning. 

Rockwood School District is one of several St. Louis-area districts to host its own early childhood special education program for ages three to pre-K. 

Unlike Rockwood, the majority of area school districts rely on the Special School District to meet their pre-K special education needs—since U.S. public schools are required to provide it.

“The special education population has nearly doubled in our district in the past 10 years,” said Michael Barla, director of Rockwood's Early Childhood Education department. And just about ten years ago is when Rockwood schools decided to take "ownership" of special education for its students.

“We seek out children who need our services and provide as much assistance as possible to allow them to be successful, and transition into kindergarten,” Barla said.

The program, Early Childhood Education, includes special needs education, screening for children from birth to pre-K, Parents as Teachers and much more. Local taxes do not support the program, federal and state taxes fund it. 

Children receive an in-depth assessment including vision, hearing and developmental screening.

An Individual Education Program (IEP) is designed for each child and is reviewed four times yearly, for updating.

The programs include intensive therapy and also integrate students in more traditional classes.

“We feel strongly about integration,” Barla said. “Students learn from each other. Traditional students serve as peer models for those who are challenged.”  

Part of the day, teachers and paraprofessionals work one-on-one with students.

“These students are learning how to learn," Barla said. "Many are autistic and benefit from the regimented instruction and high adult-to- student ratio. Our goal is to keep children moving toward developmentally appropriate skills.” 

The program has a good success rate according to Barla.  

“Forty to 50 percent of our students go to kindergarten without support,” Barla said, meaning support from additional or special programs.