This program serves Preschool Children with Disabilities as defined in N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.5(c). Under New Jersey code, a preschool child with a disability is a child age three to five who demonstrates a developmental delay in one or more areas—physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, or adaptive—when the delay adversely affects learning or development and the child requires specially designed instruction.

Grounded in an active learning approach, the program provides children with hands-on, play-based, and developmentally appropriate experiences across provider centers and in-district settings. Teachers structure the day around consistent routines, intentional planning, and opportunities for children to make choices, explore materials, and engage in purposeful play. Educators use both child-initiated learning and adult-guided instruction, supported by systematic teaching approaches such as incidental teaching, direct instruction, and discrete trial instruction when appropriate.

Students receive a continuum of supports, recognizing that needs vary across children and may change over time. Supports may range from weekly consultation within a general education classroom—where instructors and staff integrate strategies into naturally occurring routines—to placement in smaller, specialized classes with a reduced adult-to-student ratio for children requiring more individualized and intensive support. This flexible model allows teams to align services with each child’s strengths, needs, and readiness for increasingly independent engagement.