The North Kingstown School Department, Office of Pupil Personnel Services/Special Education, is now accepting applications for Community Peer models for the upcoming school year.

Within our spectrum of preschool programs, there are two integrated classrooms, one direct instruction classroom, one diagnostic classroom and one kindergarten junior classroom. These classrooms are located at Fishing Cove Elementary School, our district pre-kindergarten school. Community Peers are considered for one of our integrated classrooms - Our integrated preschool programs are ½ day programs ONLY.

Community Peers MUST

· have age-appropriate social, language and behavioral skills to be a model for preschoolers with special needs,

· be toilet trained

· be screened by Child Outreach (call Mary Nelson, 541-6350, to set up a screening appointment)

· attend at least ONE PLAY DATE session in June (to be announced), held at the former Davisville Elementary School,

· upon acceptance, Community Peers must be registered in the North Kingstown School Department

For Community Peers, depending on the child's age, either a morning or afternoon placement will be available. Parents can choose a 3-day or a 4-day placement for their child. When deciding, however, we encourage as much continuity as possible to enrich the child's learning experiences - i.e. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday … or Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday … etc.

Please be mindful that transportation is NOT provided for Community Peers- transportation to and from school is the family's responsibility.

There is a FEE for Community Peer placements. Please contact the Pupil Personnel/Special Education Office for more specific information about fees. The phone number is 268-6453

Registration information and/or Community Peer Applications may be obtained at the North Kingstown Administration Building, Office of Pupil Personnel Services/Special Education, 100 Fairway Drive, North Kingstown, or follow the link below:

C o m m u n i t y P e e r A p p l i c a t i o n

Parents will be notified of their child's acceptance as a Community Peer. In that acceptance correspondence, beginning and ending times will be announced for the AM and PM sessions.

Additional questions should be referred to Kathleen Perry, Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel Services/Special Education at 268-6453.

Thank you for your interest in our preschool programs. We look forward to meeting you and your child, and to being part of your child's first school experiences.