Early Intervention Services
3-year-olds to Kindergarten Entry
We pride ourselves on being the only private option for children with special needs in Okaloosa/ Santa Rosa/ Escambia Counties that provides Early Intervention Services for children with special needs. This can range from speech delays, developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, or behavioral concerns. We follow a multi-disciplinary approach which encompasses Educational Services, Speech Therapy, and ABA Therapy.
All learners need an opportunity to succeed, and Hatchlings Academy is here to help. We welcome those of differing abilities and are here to be a resource. Our staff completes a combination of functional communication training, crisis intervention, instructional strategies, and behavior intervention techniques. We conduct ongoing trainings and observations that coach our faculty on best practices.
We offer on-site therapy through The Speech Pod to our students which allow us to practice their speech therapy in a natural environment. The best place to learn a skill is where they will use it the most!
Village ABA provides us with on-site Applied Behavior Analysis for those with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder. RBTS deliver one to one support in the classroom which allows our kiddos to learn how to both thrive in a classroom environment but also learn behaviors that will support them at home.
Curriculum
The HighScope Curriculum is uniquely adaptable to our children with special needs to provide a rich academic foundation while promoting independence, decision making, cooperation, creativity, and problem solving in young children.
This curriculum is play-based, child-centered, and grounded in research, the HighScope Curriculum features active learning at its core. Well-prepared teachers support and extend each child’s learning based on their developmental levels, so children enter school ready and eager to learn.
Adult-Child Interactions
A strong connection between the Teachers and Learners is the most important part of HighScope. Children respond better to teachers that are engaging. High quality interactions is what makes us successful.
Routine
A consistent yet flexible routine is the foundation of every good classroom. A consistent order but with flexible times, give each student an opportunity for success. The teacher is able to change the timing based on the needs of the students, but the order stays consistent so that all students know what comes next. We focus on transition preparation to help lower the worry of what comes next and encourages children to use their entire work time.
Learning Environment
The environment needs to be safe, flexible, and child-centered. We have multiple interest centers and learners are offered autonomy by choosing what they would like to explore. The play-areas are where our teachers sneak in targeted learning oppurtunities without our students even knowing.
Observation
Ongoing child and program assessment is an underlying component of the HighScope Curriculum. Objective observations of children allow teachers to intentionally plan to build on individual and group interests and scaffold development by supporting what children know while extending their learning. We focus on the Zone of Proximal Development which is the things just beyond the knowledge level of the child but still within their reach.
Heggerty is a phonological awareness curriculum that places an emphasis on pre-reading skills that are fundamental to reading success at the primary school level.
Blending best practices from applied behavior analysis and early childhood special education, The DATA Model is a proven program rooted in evidence-based practice and based on 20 years of testing and refinement. We use this to help teach 140 different instructional programs.
This is a Social-Emotional curriculum that focuses on making choices, identifying feelings, building self-regulation skills and providing logical consequences to behaviors. We use Conscious Discipline as a school wide approach to behaviors and building resilient children.