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Preschool: Summary of Services

Special Education Preschool services are available to all children who are eligible for those services and are free of charge to Fairfax County and Fairfax City. Services are based on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which is developed for each child who is eligible for special education services. Fairfax County Public Schools offers preschool resource services, preschool class-based services, and preschool autism classes.

Preschool resource services include instructional activities provided to children in their homes, community or private preschool, day care, Head Start or other locations as agreed to by the IEP team. Teachers work directly with students to stimulate development of specific skills as outlined on the IEP. Teachers also work closely with parents and/or community/private/Head Start teachers so that they can incorporate skill building strategies into the child’s daily activities.

Preschool class-based services are located in a number of elementary schools. Children in these classes may have delays in any major area of development, including communication, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive functioning, social/emotional functioning, and adaptive skills. In addition, there are three classes for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Preschoolers typically attend either a morning or an afternoon class which has 8 children with a teacher and an instructional assistant. Children receive both individualized and small group instruction to address areas of need identified in the child’s IEP. Additional related services by a speech/language clinician, occupational therapist or physical therapist may be provided if recommended by the IEP team. The curriculum is language rich and emphasizes communication, early literacy and social development along with development in other areas.

Preschool autism class (PAC) services are designed to address the specific needs of preschool children who have been identified as being on the autism spectrum or have characteristics of children on the autism spectrum and who cannot benefit from the preschool class-based program. The program uses Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) to foster communication, social skills, appropriate behavior and other skill development. Classes have 6 children with a teacher and 2 instructional assistants.