Chapter I: Introduction
Problem Statement
The problem is several drug affected children in a preschool classroom do not connect on a social-emotional developmental level with their peers.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to better understand the lack of social skills in preschoolers who have been exposed to prenatal substances and to formulate solutions which increase social skills in all children and decrease the antecedents that cause asocial children to act out aggressively towards others.
Description of the Community
In order to offer a Christian alternative to public education, Vacaville Christian Schools (VCS) was established in 1975 as a non profit non denomination Christian school. The school began with 35 students in a one wing school built with parent labor. With the population more than doubling in Vacaville due to San Francisco Bay area employees seeking affordable living, VCS growth has also seen an increase from an 800 student body population at the time the writer joined the staff in 1984, to over 1600 students, Infant – 12th overall, with 80 preschoolers increasing to over 260. The two campuses are located in a one mile radius and cover over 21 acres serving not only the 90,000 people living in Vacaville but families from neighboring cities and a large air force base as well. VCS is mostly an affluent school with a high constituency of doctors, judges, lawyers and educators, but also serves many people in the armed forces as well as peace officers and other blue color workers. Many of the over 200 employees working at VCS also have children attending VCS.
While the preschool program is meeting the needs of the majority of children between the ages of 3 and 5, an increase of asocial behaviors has been observed primarily in adopted children. VCS seeks to provide academic excellence in a safe nurturing environment for all children. VCS believes all children can be successful, but feels new curriculum and teacher training might are necessary to help children exposed to drugs prenatally gain social skills.
Description of the Work Setting
The research project will take place at Vacaville Christian Schools, the largest non den nomination Christian school in northern California. Vacaville Christian Schools offers an accredited program for Infant – 12th grade, with the K-12 program dually accredited. The student population at Vacaville Christian Schools (VCS) is 1600 overall, with 262 children in the preschool department.
There are 30 faculty members including the two early education administrators. The first administrator has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood and is pursuing her Bachelors. She directs the Infant, Toddler and Preschool aged children on the main campus. The second administrator has her Bachelors as well has her California Children’s Program Permit which allows her to direct multiple centers and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. She directs the main campus Pre-K students and the satellite campus’ preschool and Pre-K students. Of the remaining early education faculty, one has her teaching credential, four have their Bachelors degrees, and 19 have their Associates degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE). The remaining three teachers have between 12 and 33 ECE units. Support staff meets the secretarial, book keeping and food service needs and a part time nurse is available for 30 hours per week. A resource teacher is available on campus for K-5 children only.
There are five Pre-K classes with 24 children range in age 4 to 5 years of age in each classroom. The ratio in the classroom is 2 teachers to 24 children, with a 3rd teacher in the room for a portion of each session. Three of the classes take place from 8:15AM-11:45AM, and two of the classes take place from 12:15PM – 3:45PM. Before and after school care is also available.
In order to meet the needs of all families, the preschool portion of VCS has offered a variety of part time and full time morning, and afternoon classes. This research project will be conducted with the oldest preschoolers at Vacaville Christian Schools, who are called the Pre-K class.
With infertility on a distinct rise, many of the families at VCS including the staff families who have their children at the school have adopted one or more children. Some of the families who have adopted have knowledge of the drugs their children were exposed to prenatally; in some instances birth parents were not willing to risk jail time to divulge this information. There are several adopted children in three of the Pre-K classes. Each of these children shows various levels of asocial, highly sensitive behavior, also known as Sensory Motor Integration Difficulties or Sensory Processing Disorder. The research project will take place in the classrooms containing these children.
Writer’s Role
The writer’s role at the school is administrator of the Pre-K Classes on the main campus and the preschool and Pre-K classes on the satellite campus, which is located one mile from the main campus. This is the 24th year the writer has been in ministry at Vacaville Christian Schools and the third year she has also been administering the satellite campus one mile away. For the first eighteen years at Vacaville Christian Schools the writer taught a morning Pre-K class and directed the Infant-Toddler, Preschool and Pre-K programs in the afternoon, job sharing her directing duties with a second administrator who taught Pre-K in the afternoon, and directed the Infant-Toddler, Preschool and Pre-K programs in the morning. Due to program expansion both administrators became full time directors six years ago.
At Vacaville Christian Schools which includes Vacaville Christian Schools West Campus, the writer is responsible for hiring and mentoring teachers and support staff, researching, purchasing curriculum for both preschool and Pre-K programs, and observing, assessing and evaluating staff and curriculum. The writer is also responsible for teaching yearly parenting classes, leading all accreditation studies, and developing a parent volunteer program to assist early childhood teachers in various ways from assisting with art projects to driving for field trips.
The writer meets weekly with her two head teachers as well as classroom teachers to discuss curriculum and program needs. She also assists teachers in finding resource services for children showing signs of developmental delay. The writer also meets weekly with the second early childhood administrator, the technology team and the K – 12 administrative team on matters which concern the entire school system. The writer creates a monthly report for the school board and meets quarterly with them. The writer has full authority on hiring and firing staff, interviewing and bringing in new families and suspending children who propose a safety threat to themselves or others. The writer with board approval also has full authority on expelling students from the school.
The writer is responsible for recommending any modifications into the classroom as set forth in any student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) and for attending all public unified school system IEP’s for special needs children in her program. The writer is responsible for approving all lesson plans and the scope and sequence of the preschool which includes the Pre-K department.
The writer interviews new families to the school and gives the staff various interview tools to use as they meet with parents in their classroom. One such tool was taken off line and is specifically designed for children who suffer from Sensory Motor Integration difficulties.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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