Ready or not – back to school is just around the corner! CSC’s preschool starts after Labor Day this year, and we’re excited to have our students back in the building!

CSC’s preschool is so much more than just a regular preschool – we provide high-quality care and education in a nurturing and accessible environment, field trips, extra-curricular activities and that’s not all!

Programs like “reading with a ranger,” eco explorers, therapy dog visits and weekly music therapy make sure every day at preschool is fun and different!

Our Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Intervention Specialist adapt all instruction and activities to each child’s needs and strengths. At CSC’s preschool, students work on goals from their Individual Education Plan (IEP) developed together with their families and school districts by a team of specialists. The preschool has a speech language pathologist, orientation and mobility specialist, physical therapist and occupational therapist to help the students reach their goals.

CSC’s preschool isn’t just for children with visual impairments! Our preschool also serves sighted peers. A sighted peer is a child aged 3-5 who meets all developmental milestones, is fully potty-trained and does not have an active IEP to support their education. Sighted peers enhance the education of students with visual impairment by being a helper, leader and friend. Through this relationship, the sighted peers learn compassion and leadership skills at an early age.

Beginning in September 2023, CSC’s preschool will offer extended hours to accommodate working parents. While educational programming will still happen between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., CSC’s preschool will also provide before care beginning at 7:30 a.m. and extended care between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. while parents are still working. We want our preschool to be accessible not only for children with visual impairments, but also for their parents and families.

A CSC scholarship is available as needed for children whose parents prefer our preschool over other educational options offered by their school district of residence. The scholarship covers the tuition for the nine months of programming during the school year. This will make our services available to all preschool-aged children with visual impairment and their families, regardless of the cost of their education. Sighted peers whose families meet financial criteria or have other hardships might be eligible for the City of Cleveland Scholarship as well.

If there are any questions about the preschools curriculum or teaching methods, check out the webpage here or contact Dorota Tomaszewska, Manager of Preschool Services - Lead Teacher, at 216-658-8778 or dtomaszewska@clevelandsightcenter.org