 Los Niños Early Intervention Center, established in 1998, houses preschool programs for children ages two through five, both children with disabilities and developmental delays, and children in Title I-funded pre-kindergarten programs. Our programs are designed to provide specialized teaching and therapy, to help children develop essential skills and abilities before they enter kindergarten. Los Niños E.I.C. has seven classrooms, a gross and fine motor therapy room, speech and language therapy classrooms, a counseling classroom, and areas where children’s developmental skills are assessed by our diagnostic testing team members.
Los Niños’ bright, beautiful classrooms where our students’ work is prominently displayed! Our classes consist of academic readiness instruction, facilitated play in learning centers, music, movement, art, and other activities designed to enhance development. And, like many preschools, our Center’s staff is exceptionally well qualified to meet the needs of children with ‘typical’ development, as well as those with disabilities and delays. We presently employ seven certified teachers who meet New Mexico criteria as highly qualified. In addition, we have 13 educational assistants with expertise in working with early childhood and special student populations.
Where Los Niños Early Intervention Center differs from most preschool settings, however, is our focus not only on ‘typical’ early childhood learning, but also on working with children who have disabilities and developmental delays. Our Center conforms to federal and State laws and regulations that govern Special Education programming for children aged two through five. Many of our students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) that we follow, in order to ensure we meet their unique needs. In addition to teaching staff, we also integrate various therapists into our daily programming for our students. We house two Masters’ level Speech/Language Pathologists who work with children with delays in speech and language and other communication disorders. Two Physical Therapists work with our students who have needs in the area of gross motor development. We have an Occupational Therapist and a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant who work with children who have needs in the areas of fine motor and visual motor skills, or who have deficits in sensory integration. Our staff also includes a counselor, an audiologist, a vision specialist, educational diagnosticians, and a school nurse, who come to Los Niños weekly to provide services in their areas of expertise and specialty. These professionals work with our teaching staff to provide integrated programming in developmental areas to children who attend Los Niños.
Our Center, in addition to providing educational services, also works closely with the Child Find program to identify children who meet criteria for our program. Child Find seeks to publicize the mission of Los Niños E.I.C. to our community to ensure that every eligible child is identified and served through our programs. We also work with community agencies that serve children aged birth to three, such as Head Start, ENMRSH and MECA, to transition children who are eligible, into our programs. Finally, we provide a Peer Role Model program in which children who do not have developmental delays or disabilities attend specific classes to model skills for the children who do have them. This program is wonderfully beneficial for all students!
Los Niños Early Intervention Center plays an integral role in student success and achievement by preparing children for school success through providing developmentally appropriate activities and a variety of services to children and families. We welcome inquiries about our programs!
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