Florham Park Integrated Preschool

Dear Florham Park Community,

The Florham Park School District is pleased to announce that the District will again be operating its Integrated Preschool Program for the 2024-2025 school year. This year, we are excited to offer two half day programs (a morning and an afternoon class). We will have a total of 16 openings for the fall (8 seats in each class), and look forward to welcoming new faces to our classrooms!

Since demand for this excellent early childhood program often outweighs the number of available seats, entrance into each class is via a lottery. On the application, you will indicate your preferred class session (AM or PM only), or if you would be interested in accepting a seat in either class. The application will be available starting January 31st at the link below. All applications are due by March 11, 2024. The eligibility drawing will be held on March 12, 2024. Families of students selected for seats will be notified within a week of the drawing. Those families who were not selected for open seats will be placed on a waitlist in the order in which their application was drawn in the lottery. Changes certainly do occur, and families on the waitlist will be notified on a rolling basis as seats become available.

Our preschool program is an excellent option for families in our community. We provide a wonderful educational experience for our smallest learners, and we look forward to meeting a new group of students in the fall! Please see below for more information about our program.

Sincerely,

Ms. Melissa Picciano

Supervisor of Special Services

The Florham Park Integrated Preschool Program will prepare the youngest learners in our district to fully experience and participate in their lives at home, in school, and in the community. This program will help our children develop the readiness skills in all content areas as outlined by the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations. It is our mission to create a bridge between families and school to support our children, and to give them a successful start on their educational journey.

The Florham Park Integrated Preschool will offer two half-day options:

• AM Class: 9:00AM to 11:30AM
• PM Class: 12:25PM to 2:55PM

Tuition: $400 per month ($4000 for the entire school year).

Parents/caregivers are responsible for providing transportation.

If your child requires before/after care services, they may be available through The Work-Family Connection.

A deposit covering the first and last month of school ($800) is due prior to registration to secure your child's seat. Tuition is billed monthly. Failure to submit this deposit by the due date will result in your child’s seat being given to a child on the waitlist. Upon receipt of this payment, along with the needed enrollment materials, your child’s seat will be secured. Cancellations must be made by Friday, June 14, 2024 for a refund. If cancellation occurs after this date, a refund will not be provided.

To be eligible for this program as a general education student, your child must be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2024, and must be toilet trained prior to the first day of school.

A birth certificate, copy of immunizations, and proof of residency will be required for registration and enrollment.

Florham Park’s Integrated Preschool Program is specifically designed to provide an enriched curriculum that is aligned with the New Jersey Department of Education’s Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards. This program is multi-aged and inclusive, which means there will also be students with special education needs in each classroom.

Each class is taught by a highly qualified and certified teacher. Each teacher is dual certified as a Pre K - Grade 3 Teacher and as a Special Education Teacher. The program is also supported by staff assistants.

Florham Park implements The Creative Curriculum which is a research-based, New Jersey Department of Education suggested Early Childhood Education curriculum. This curriculum specifies content to be taught in the following areas, in accordance with the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations:

• Literacy: vocabulary and language, phonological awareness, letters, words, print, comprehension, and books and other texts as sources of enjoyment

• Mathematics: numbers, patterns and relationships, geometry and spatial awareness, measurement, data collection, organization, and representation

• Science: physical science, life science, Earth and the environment

• Social Studies: spaces and geography, people and how they live, people and the environment, and people and the past

• Arts: dance, music, drama, and visual arts

• Technology: awareness of technology, basic operations and concepts, technological tools, and people and technology

Students in our program are part of the Briarwood community. They are provided with activities and opportunities which will prepare them to transition to our kindergarten program. Your child’s classroom will be an enriching environment, separated into distinct interest areas where learning in the form of exploration and discovery can take place on a daily basis.

These centers, along with guided large and small group activities and a well-stocked classroom library, will provide your child with a well-rounded and educationally meaningful experience.

There is a full-time nurse who provides services to all Briarwood students, including preschool students and their families. Services include, but are not limited to: health screenings, monitoring individual health records, documenting and communicating with the educational team regarding allergies or other health concerns, assisting families in locating appropriate medical and health resources, assisting in the development of written emergency plans and procedures, and providing health-related training to staff and/or children and their families.