Inclusiveness at Work: THINK College Partners with Macfeat Laboratory School

This presentation describes the partnership that exists between Winthrop’s Macfeat Laboratory School and THINK College. Winthrop University’s THINK College Program aims to “provide an inclusive post-secondary education experience to students with intellectual disabilities to prepare them for competitive employment and active participation in local communities with as much independence as possible” (http://www.winthrop.edu/thinkcollege/). Since 1895, Macfeat Laboratory School has served Winthrop University and the community as a research, demonstration and training center for best practices in early childhood education. Macfeat has two preschool classes for three and four year olds and one multi-age kindergarten class. The school provides a unique learning environment for both children and Winthrop students, including Winthrop’s THINK College students. This semester, two THINK College students are interning in a Macfeat preschool classroom. The presenters will offer a brief description of both THINK College and Macfeat Laboratory school and will describe the positive outcomes from THINK College interns working in a Macfeat preschool classroom. Personal anecdotes, photos and videoclips will be used to describe the experience

Starting Off Strong: Building Partnerships with Parents of Children with Special Needs

Building partnerships with parents through teacher-parent communication from the beginning of the school year is key to creating a successful classroom environment for all children. This workshop will explore Macfeat Laboratory School’s approach to building partnerships with all parents from the beginning of the school year, and specifically one classroom’s approach to communicating and working together with parents of children with special needs. Macfeat Laboratory School is a NAEYC accredited preschool and kindergarten; NAEYC’s policies are influential in the school’s approach to parent communication and inclusion. Participant Objectives: Participants will explore NAEYC’s policy on inclusive environments for children with special needs and recommendations for effective family engagement practices and how they impact Macfeat Laboratory School’s policy. Participants will learn about how Macfeat Laboratory School’s policies impact one teacher’s preschool classroom and her approach to developing strong partnerships with the families in her class. Participants will hear one parent’s viewpoint concerning her family’s Macfeat experience