SM Early Childhood Education Center

Carla Heintz, Principal, Early Childhood Education Center

Tracy Smarr-Dolezal, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator

We had a wonderful turnout for our Parent/Child learning night on March 13th! It was so great to see you all learning and having fun alongside your child.

Please note our rescheduled picture retake day on April 8th. If you would like retakes or to have your child's picture taken for the first time, please let their teacher know.

Kindergarten Kick- Offs are coming up, I encourage all of you with students going to K at your neighborhood school to attend. In addition PreK welcomes are also happening the month of April, if your child is moving to PreK at another school, please check out those dates as well!

In the upcoming months we will take some time to honor some of those that work diligently with your children daily. The first week of April is paraprofessional week, and the first week of May 5-9 is teacher appreciation week. Please reach out in some way to let them know you appreciate them!

March 31- April 4- Para Appreciation Week

April 8th- Picture Retakes

April 10- 12:45 Code Red Drill

April 21- No School, Staff Professional Learning Day

April 25- Early Childhood Screening

Help us celebrate our paras this week by sending note of thanks for all they do!!

Every year we are required to have a code red drill for emergency situations and inform parents in advance as to when it will take place. Our drill this year will be on on Thursday, April 10th at 12:45. This drill consists of a complete building lockdown, including classroom doors, along with student being moved away from doors and windows to a space in the classroom out of site from outside of the classroom. Please reach out if you have additional questions.

Students at Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center do not need to enroll for the upcoming school year, regardless of if your child is moving to Kindergarten, staying at SMECEC or recieving services in another building for PreK. We will roll your enrollment over for the upcoming year and transfer it to the appropriate school if needed. The one exception to this, are those peers who are wanting to move to a district PreK for the year, you will need to complete the PreK online enrollment. Everyone will need to complete online verification once again in August. If you have questions, please reach out, our office is glad to help you navigate this.

Have a child transitioning to Kindergarten for the 25/26 school year at your neighborhood school? Please save the date for your child's school's Kick Off and plan to attend. You do not need to take enrollment documents with you or enroll while there, we will transfer your child's enrollment to the appropriate school.

Find those dates here

Counting is a part of young children’s daily life. They love to count everything from the stairs they climb to the crackers they eat. To build your child's innate sense of math, infuse counting into all aspects of your day. Count the pushes on the swing, or the stairs up a slide, count out plates or cups to set the table. Help them gain a sense of how "big" numbers are, and increase their comparison skills, using terms such as more, less, and the same. Counting quantities of things helps to solidify these terms. Many children may think 2 sets of items are the same, until they actually count them. Make it fun and do it often!

It’s hard to believe it's already April. I guess it's true, time does fly when you’re having fun! Enjoy the spring weather and as always, don’t hesitate to visit, call or email (913-993-2627 michellevandoren@smsd.org) with any questions or concerns.

Helpful Links

April is National Autism Acceptance Month and the Autism Society Autism Society provides multiple supports to members and the autism community, such as: information & referral services, educational workshops, social and support groups. They are having their annual 5K/1K Fun Run on April 5th, which provides a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the weather. They have also partnered with the YMCA of Greater Kansa City to create a swim and safety program geared towards children on the spectrum. Click to learn more about the Autism Society Swim Lessons. For those who prefer to stay in, check out their Lending Library; they have over 250 titles available.

Our SMAC PTA Clothing Exchange is a good place to obtain free gently used clothing and shoes for those within the Shawnee Mission School District boundaries. Make note of their schedule for January - May 2025.

As you venture outside to enjoy the warmer weather, here is a list of Inclusive Playgrounds in our area. Also, the Johnson County Museum hosts Sensory Friendly Mondays on the first Monday of each month 9am – noon. This is a comfortable, low-sensory environment designed specifically for children with sensory processing differences and Autism Spectrum Disorders, and their families. Visitors of all abilities and museum experience are welcomed.

Looking for topics to help you become a better/more confident caregiver? Hear from experts in their field to help you fill your toolbox. SOAR Care Givers 411, meets via Zoom monthly, is FREE and open to all parents and caregivers of individuals with special needs or disabilities of any age.

Social Emotional Tips for Families of Toddlers 5 one-page posters with strategies to use during daily routines

Center on the and Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning Is a great family resource that provides parent manuals supporting social emotional learning.

A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice And Autism discusses the complexity of diagnostic evaluations for children on the autism spectrum, identifies and describes effective treatments, and outlines the importance of professional judgment and using data to guide treatment decisions.

We have a new Facebook page for our school. Please use the QR code to like and follow us.

You can also follow us on X- Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center @theSMECEC

Want to know if your child's bus is running on time?? To keep on top of what is happening with your child's bus, I would highly recommend you sign up for TextCaster. Once signed up, you will receive text messages regarding the buses if they are running late or have another problem arise. Click the box by the bus number(s) your child rides under early childhood to be sure you have all of the most up to the minute information. You can sign up here

Our school along with the district are working to improve attendance for all students. I encourage you all to do all you can to get your child to school on time (and we will continue to work with the buses for the same) and to have them here each day we are in session. As a reminder our school times are 8:10-10:55 and 12:25-3:10. We do open the doors 5 minutes before school starts to get students in their classrooms before the official start of the day. Tardies do add up to absences, 10 tardies equals a full day absence. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home and if they are going to be absent due to illness or other reasons, please call our attendance line 913-993-2688. If your child is a bus rider, please call D.S. as well at 913-384-1190 to let them know your child will not be riding.

Food service offers breakfast and lunch for our students

Prices will be as follows:

Elementary Breakfast: $1.55

Reduced $0.30

Elementary Lunch: $2.85

Reduced: $0.40

Families can complete a child nutrition meal benefit application to see if they qualify for free for reduced meal prices after July 1, 2024. The information and link will be on the Food Service web page after July 1 and families are encouraged to apply as soon as it is available so that any benefits the family may receive are processed prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Breakfast

Breakfast is available each school day. The breakfast menu includes an entrée, grain, fruit and milk. Students are served all items to receive a full breakfast; including the required ½ cup of fruit.

Lunch

Lunch includes an entrée, grain, fruit, vegetable and milk. Students are served all of these five components on their lunch tray, including the required ½ cup fruit and/or vegetable.

Food Services has updated the School Meal Information flyer for parents. It is available on the main page of the Food Service web page and linked here for you convenience.

The “pig” symbol on the menu means that the item contains pork.

Menus, nutritional and allergy information are available online at https://www.schoolcafe.com/SHAWNEEMISSION

Special Diet

If you have an allergy or specific dietary concerns, contact your school nurse for a medical form to be filled out by your doctor.

Food service information is available on the district’s web site at www.smsd.org/about/departments/food-service or you can call the Food Service office at 913-993-9710.

SMSD offers an early childhood developmental screening which includes the areas of vision, hearing, problem-solving, personal-social development, gross/fine motor skills, and speech/language skills. The purpose of the screening is to identify children who may have substantial developmental delays and who may be eligible for special education services. SMSD’s Early Childhood Screening (ECS) is appropriate for children ages 2 years 9 months to 5 years old who reside within the Shawnee Mission School District boundaries.

How often are screenings offered?

Screenings for 2024-2025 occur monthly on a Friday morning and are by appointment only. Parent or other legal guardian must complete a request for screening and submit the required documents before an appointment is offered.

How do I request a screening for my child?

More information about the ECS program can be found on the district’s Early Childhood Special Education home page under Early Childhood Screening.

We have new social media sites this year! Please feel free to follow us and like us!!

X: @theSMECEC

Facebook: Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center

Or search for #EarlyEDSMSD to see what's happening district wide in PreK!

Email: carlaheintz@smsd.org
Website: earlychildcenter.smsd.org
Location: 6701 West 83 Street, Overland Park, KS, 6USA
Phone: (913)993-2600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shawnee-Mission-Early-Childhood-Education-Center-101802735143826
Twitter: @theSMECEC