About Us

Children and families are the heart of our mission.  Center and community based services are provided through direct services, consultation, and collaboration.   We create and promote nurturing, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children.

 

Act 166 in Vermont provides publicly supported Pre K programming for children ages 3-5 in a variety of early learning environments.  In the SVSU, children who turn 3 by August 31 of this year, and who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten, can contact the Early Education office to learn about publicly funded Pre K opportunities. The SVSU Early Education Program provides Pre Kindergarten programming to over 350 learners each year in a variety of Pre Kindergarten environments. In addition to the SVSU public Pre K classrooms, there are a number of Pre qualified Pre K sites in the SVSU that enrolled Pre K students have the opportunity to attend for ten hours of publicly supported Pre K each week for the duration of the thirty five week Pre K calendar. Pre K enrollment is available on a first come, first served basis, with opportunities for program choice as seats allow.  

 

Public Pre-K is a two-step process. First you Enroll your child in the SVSU School District by completing the SVSU Student Enrollment Packet, and then you must Register your child with the Pre-K Provider of your choice.  Each program offers Pre-K a little differently (i.e.: 2 day, 3 day, 4 day or 5 day slots, half day or full day). Families will need to reach out to individual providers to determine which program best meets your child’s and family’s needs.

 

Pre Kindergarten programs in Bennington provide learning environments and instruction built upon the Vermont Early Learning Standards, or the VELS.  The VELS outline developmentally appropriate standards for each age range in the domains of social emotional development, language development, health and physical development, approaches to learning, and development in the domains of literacy and math.  Pre Kindergarten learners are assessed at least twice a year to measure progress and growth using the Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment. Teachers and parents set goals for Pre K learners growth and development at fall parent conferences, and measure student progress through observation and TS Gold assessment reports. 

The SVSU Early Education Program provides a developmental screening for each learner enrolled in Pre K to assess children’s achievement of developmental milestones, and identify any needs for an evaluation to determine if a child may have a disability.  The Early Education Program also provides Early Childhood Special Education services to learners with identified disabilities in a variety of settings; in Pre K environments, daycares, and homes. By intervening early, we can achieve the greatest amount of growth with young children to assist them in achieving each child’s potential.