District adds preschool to serve community needs

SARANAC | Since 2004, Adirondack Helping Hands has cared for preschool-aged children with special needs in Clinton County. Now, the Saranac Central School District has taken up carrying the torch, extended that long legacy of care, serving even more students, and helping to bring the program into the future. Bridget Benware and Katie Calkins are the speech pathologists who started the nonprofit preschool. They bonded over a philosophy that wasn't prevalent at that time, a student-centered approach that focuses on social and emotional well-being. They started the preschool in Katie's living room, and it grew over the next two decades to serve four classrooms full of students each year at the former Cadyville Elementary School. After hearing state officials talk about how they believe school districts may be better off in running preschool programs rather than small agencies like theirs, they approached Saranac Central School District Superintendent Javier Perez and asked him if the district might be interested in taking over the preschool. Perez was very receptive to the idea, and they started working out a transition plan. "[Mr. Perez] accepted it right from the beginning. He was so respectful and mindful, and asked a lot of questions about what we did and how what we do could support his district, but not only his district – the community in general," Calkins said. "For both Bridget and I, that was so refreshing: We said, 'Not only do we have a problem, but we also have a solution.' And somebody was like, 'I love your solution, and I want to be a part of it.'" They called it forward thinking on Perez's part. The preschool is only the fourth preschool like it in the state that has moved under a school district's wing. Saranac takeover/transition The transition went incredibly smoothly, and the school district officially took over the preschool in July, just before summer programming got started. It will now be called Saranac Preschool. Almost all the staff who worked for Adirondack Helping Hands became school district employees, and Benware and Calkins transitioned from being owners to staff as well. Shannon Nephew became the principal of preschool and committee on preschool special education. She had worked in special education for most of her career before moving three years ago to associate principal at the high school. She realized she was interested in getting back into special education. "When Mr. Perez said he was looking for an administrator to put in that building, I immediately raised my hand and said, 'Me, please!'" Nephew said. She's also excited to get the chance to be around students and in classrooms more. Logistics of program Over the summer, 18 students were part of the transitional semester. In September, a total of 54 students are now attending the preschool. It has two 6:1:2 classrooms and two 8:1:2 classrooms, which means the rooms will have either six or eight students, one teacher and two teaching assistants. All those classes are specifically for students with disabilities who have individualized education plans, or IEPs. There are also two integrated classrooms, which include students from the local community who are neurotypical. In these rooms, students with disabilities learn modeled behavior from students who are neurotypical. Including Calkins and Benware, the school has four speech pathologists, two physical therapists and two occupational therapists. Speech is the most prevalent service offered, with 160 speech sessions expected each week. The preschool has students from every school district in the county, plus some from Essex County. The program is funded by state money that comes through Clinton and Essex counties. A win-win Everyone involved in the preschool's transition says the new structure is a win-win for all parties. The waitlist for preschool spots for students with special needs is shrinking now that the school district has been able to add two more classrooms to the preschool. Over the summer, Calkins and Benware were excited but nervous to get back to working solely on their duties as speech pathologists. For so many years, they have been interspersing those jobs with ownership duties like budgeting, hiring and managing staff, state reporting requirements and so much more. While there is some anxiety around it, they are both excited to get back to focusing on the work they really love. Staff at the school are thrilled to have the pay structure and benefits that come as school district employees. The school district is able to provide pay and benefits that a small nonprofit would never be able to afford. "We keep saying that we could not have written a better script," said Calkins. "Yes, we're closing the door on 20 years of our life, but staff members were hired by the district and now have that support system, and none of our families are going without services – in fact, even more families are getting services. It is really a best-case scenario." Nephew is excited about the possibilities that may come about now that the preschool is a part of the school district. If any of the specialists who serve the preschool have free time, they could potentially serve other populations within the school district. She's also excited to be able to help expand the preschool so it serves more students. "There's such a high need for special education services for preschoolers in the county, and there's only so many people to provide those services," Nephew said. "It's a really exciting adventure for us. I have a building full of wonderful teachers and support staff, so I'm very excited to see what the school year brings."

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District adds preschool to serve community needs

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