BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — An important part of special education is to bring students into an inclusive classroom. SUNY Buffalo State University is now collaborating with the Summit Center to create an inclusive, full-day preschool classroom at the Buffalo State Child Care Center.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley visited Buffalo State's Child Care Center where it will be accepting more students with and without disabilities in January.
“And how are you today? We come to our circle time to laugh and sing and play!” sang a circle of preschoolers and their teachers.
Next month this circle of preschoolers at Buffalo State's Child Care Center will be expanding into an inclusive classroom for 16 students.
“We’re so looking forward to the beginning of this classroom. It will be an inclusive setting, so we'll have children with and without disabilities that we'll be able to learn side by side,” explained Kathy Doody, professor, exceptional education at Buffalo State.
Professor Doody tells me an inclusive classroom is considered a "best practice" for developmental needs.
“And there's a lot of research that supports all of the benefits and it works for everybody. It really is a great learning experience for the kids without disabilities and it's obviously The kids with disabilities have all these peer models and great opportunities for social interaction and language models. It works all the way around,” described Doody.
Serving children with and without disabilities in the same space can help alleviate a shortage that's occurring in Buffalo and Erie County.
"We don't have enough teachers to go around, so it makes it hard to start programs like this because this program will actually be pretty rich in its ratio. We'll have two teachers for 16 children, which is a pretty high ratio of staff to children for the most part,” Doody noted.
“It’s really an incredible model for both sides. it teaches a lot of skills that you would want unless you were in an integrated program,” reflected Shae Herron, executive director, Buffalo State’s Child Care Center.
Herron says teaming with Summit provides early intervention before these children head to kindergarten.
"Having this center open for families can help catch these children up before they actually get into the school classroom, so parents are very excited about it. We are excited about it. the kids love coming here,” Herron declared.
"I think it's a great opportunity on both sides,” remarked Brandon Kawa, board chair and parent.
Kawa is chair of the board of Buffalo State's Child Care Center and as a parent he Elias two years ago in this pre-school program and it's been a big success.
“I noticed that when he came here after being at home from the pandemic, his language skills in particular, just blossomed. He learned a ton of new words, and started counting, so that was that was really great for him and just to be able to express himself emotionally. It's really been a great learning experience,” Kawa noted.
The child care center children are thriving and were having some fun with our photographer while taking a lunch break, making funny faces at our 7 News camera.
Now the center is ready to blend in new students with disabilities to enhance their learning.
