Children’s Services

Children’s Center

Children’s Services

Preschool • Pre-K For All and 3-K • Equipment For Students

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For over sixty years, the Queens Centers for Progress Children’s Center has been providing superior services to families in the community. The Children’s Center’s dedicated and experienced staff provide preschoolers and children with a warm and caring atmosphere that promotes learning, bolsters self-esteem and improves social skills. The large, bright, well-equipped classrooms and recreational areas allow children space to grow and flourish. The Children’s Center offers an array of options for parents of both typically developing (non-disabled) preschoolers and children with disabilities.

Preschool

For preschoolers and children aged three to five with disabilities, the APPLE (A Preschool Program for Learning and Enrichment) program offers a comprehensive array of educational and therapeutic services, including speech, occupational and physical therapy, counseling and nursing services. Special education teachers, along with clinicians, emphasize cognitive, motor, social, and language skills development. We offer a full day program and integrated classes.

The majority of the children who participate in the APPLE Program will continue on to an inclusionary environment in the public school system.

PRE-K FOR ALL AND 3-K

Our free Pre-K for All program for four-year olds and our free 3-K program for three-year-olds are run in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education. These programs prepare children for school, by giving them early experiences in a classroom setting with structured activities. Our Pre-K for All program also provides for interaction between disabled and typically developing children. The benefits for such inclusionary experiences for disabled children have been well documented. In addition, children who are typically developing get a chance early in life to interact with those who have disabilities and will grow from the experience.

EQUIPMENT FOR STUDENTS

QCP can provide for a wide variety of adaptive equipment and assistive technology for our students.  Along with occupational and physical therapists, our carpenter helps construct adaptive furniture which is available to be loaned to families for home use. Electronic devices can be provided to assist with communication for nonverbal students. In addition, our school helps families purchase necessary adaptive equipment. Our staff is knowledgeable about the various forms of insurance, Medicaid and grant funding available to cover the expenses of the special services needed for home use by children with developmental disabilities.

CODE OF CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE POLICY SUMMARY

We promote a positive, nurturing, safe climate that provides our  preschoolers and children with a supportive environment in which to learn, gain skills and grow socially.  Responsible behavior by staff, administration, students and parents is essential to achieving this goal.

Perfect behavior is not a normal goal for children and it is recognized that behavior problems do occur.  Behavior management at QCP is based on the philosophy that an appropriate developmental curriculum increases the incidence of positive behaviors and accordingly decreases behavior problems.  Staff are encouraged to teach and acknowledge appropriate behaviors.

We are committed to the principle that parent involvement is crucial to a child’s learning.  As such, behavior management strategies are shared with parents to enlist your input and support.  Parent training in behavior management is made available based on your need and request through parent support groups, workshop presentations and notification of parenting programs.

We consider you our partners in making sure our children and school are safe.  We will keep you informed of your child’s behavior and any areas of concern.  We encourage you to discuss with your child’s teacher and other staff any issues that may affect your child’s behavior and strategies that might be effective.  We look forward to your phone calls, written notes or face-to-face meetings.

Below is a summary of “Our Code of Conduct and Discipline Policy.”  If you would like to see the entire “Code of Conduct, Discipline Policy and Behavior Management Approach,” please contact Cindy Heller.

Staff are expected to:

  • Maintain a climate of respect and dignity
  • Be prepared to fulfill their job responsibilities
  • Demonstrate interest and concern for the students
  • Know and abide by school policies and procedures
  • Communicate regularly with students and parents/family members concerning expectations, growth and success
  • Alert their supervisor and/or administration of any concern or suggestion.

Administrators are expected to:

  • Promote a safe and stimulating school environment
  • Support an open atmosphere so staff and parents have the opportunity to approach them with any concern or suggestion
  • Evaluate on a regular basis all instructional, behavioral, safety, personnel programs
  • Be responsible and fair
  • Prevent or immediately address any accusation of a child being teased, bullied, harassed or threatened.

Students have three primary behavioral expectations which have been established within a system of positive behavior support:

  • Be Safe, which includes Listening Ears, Wait in Your Spot, Hands and Feet to Self, Use Walking Feet, Listen to the Teacher
  • Be Kind, which includes:  Smile at Friends, Use Kind Words, Quiet Hands, Take Turns, Share Toys
  • Be Responsible, which includes:  Clean Up, Line Up When Called, Wash Hands.

These expectations or “code of conduct” for preschoolers and children are expanded upon based on the child’s chronological age, cognitive capabilities and other special needs.  This “code of conduct” helps establish a school-wide culture and promote positive individual behavior supports, while minimizing problem behavior for all students.

Our code of conduct and discipline policy are reviewed at least annually, and updated when necessary.  Also, it is disseminated annually to staff and a summary of the code of conduct to parents.  Suggestions are always welcome.

We hope these procedures will allow our staff to actively engage in teaching and supporting the social-emotional development of our children.

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