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Preschool expansion priorities: DRDP implementation, pyramid-model pilot and data collection
Summary
District staff presented a preschool update highlighting enrollment (552 students: 331 special‑education, 221 Title I peers), rollout of the DRDP assessment, a pyramid-model behavior pilot at Webster, professional development and partnerships with Head Start and community providers.
Heather Harrod, assistant director of student services, presented an update on the district’s preschool program and child-find work on Feb. 11.
Harrod said Manchester serves approximately 552 preschool-age children (ages 3–5) through a mix of district sites and community outreach locations; of that total she reported 331 students receive special-education services and 221 attend as Title I peers. The preschool program operates in nine school locations (Bishop O’Neil/Bakersfield, Gossler, Green Acres, Highland Goffs, Jewett, McDonough, Parker-Varney, Webster, Weston) and at outreach partners including Head Start and Reach for the Stars.
District staff have implemented the DRDP (Desired Results Developmental Profile) assessment this school year; Harrod said all preschool teachers completed initial DRDP profiles and the district held checkpoint reviews. Teachers also requested more preschool-specific professional development; the district provided DRDP and communication training and plans additional sessions focused on behavior and communication in March.
A pyramid-model pilot (a tiered behavior-support framework) is underway at Webster under a grant; that initiative includes coaching for staff and parent-facing resources in multiple languages. Harrod also described other preschool-level work: transition planning for children moving into kindergarten, targeted coaching in classrooms with specialized needs (autism, medically fragile, deaf and hard of hearing), and data-collection improvements to monitor child-find and service timeliness.
Committee members praised the district’s early-intervention emphasis. Harrod said the district will continue to expand professional development, monitor DRDP data and pursue sustainable coaching capacity to scale the pyramid model beyond the Webster pilot.
Ending: District staff said they will continue data collection and PD for preschool staff, monitor DRDP checkpoints and pursue sustainability for the pyramid-model behavior supports; committee members commended the work and emphasized the importance of early intervention.
