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Franklin Street preschool showcased as inclusive early-education model
Summary
At its Sept. 29 meeting the Nashua School District board heard a presentation on Franklin Street’s inclusive preschool program featuring integrated classrooms, allied services and enrollment details; board members pressed administration on screening timelines and program capacity.
The Nashua School District Board of Education on Sept. 29 heard a 30-minute curriculum showcase on Franklin Street Preschool, where the district said an inclusive early-education model serves children ages 3–5 with integrated classrooms and embedded supports.
Caitlin Burns, the Franklin Street program coordinator, told the board the program is “an inclusive program” that pairs students with special-education needs alongside typically developing peers and staffs each preschool classroom with three paraeducators. Burns said the district operates 14 preschool classrooms with AM and PM sessions; she gave current enrollment figures of about 117 students in the AM (including 36 “play pals”) and 118 in the PM (about 30 play pals), with roughly 25 students enrolled in the early-threes cohort.
The presentation stressed services available within the preschool program: speech-language groups, drop-in speech services, occupational and physical therapy as needed, a teacher of the deaf for hearing supports, vision teachers and behavior specialists. Burns said most early-threes students come from early intervention programs and that the district can accept referrals from parents, pediatricians and doctors’ offices.
Board members focused their questions on access and timelines. Burns said the district schedules a referral meeting within 15 business days of a parent’s referral, aims to complete evaluations in about 45 days (the maximum statutory window cited was 60 days), and then develops an IEP within 30 days after consent. On program schedules she clarified that the early-threes sessions run 2.5 hours per day while the Purple Panther program meets roughly 4.5 hours two days per week for students with more intensive needs.
Board members and parents also asked about staffing; the district said it is actively hiring paraeducators and specialists and welcomed site visits. The board did not take formal action on the presentation; trustees thanked Burns and the Franklin Street leadership for the program and its services.
The district’s curriculum packet and the administrators’ enrollment figures will remain available to the board as the district works to align preschool capacity with special-education needs and referrals.
