Welcome to the Milford Public Schools Preschool Program! Your child is about to begin a preschool experience that will help shape his/her educational future.
Our program promotes the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of young children. Preschool learning is viewed as an interactive process between the child's thoughts and experiences with materials, adults, and other children. Active thinking and experimenting are important activities during the school day session.
All children are welcome at the Milford Public Schools Preschool Program -- both typically developing youngsters as well as children with special needs. Exposure to a preschool experience is extremely beneficial for all in attendance.
To get started, please contact the Milford Public Schools Preschool office at (203) 783-3410
Ages
Students who are 3- and 4-years of age may attend Milford Public Schools Preschool. For students with special needs, entry may begin as soon as the child is 3 years of age. For typically-developing students who have turned 3 already, the school term generally will begin in the fall of that year (ex: student turns 3 in February; student may begin preschool later that fall). At a minimum, typically-developing children must be 3 years + 1 month of age.
Preschool Screening (ages 3-4)
Milford Parents! Do you have questions or concerns about your child’s development? Preschool screening could help you find some answers.
Talk to your child’s pediatrician, preschool teacher or daycare provider about your concerns. You do not have to wait to see if your child “will outgrow it.” You can address those concerns now by calling the Milford Public Schools Pupil Personnel Services Department at 203-783-3410 and requesting an appointment for a preschool screening.
After you call the Pupil Personnel Services office, you will be sent preschool forms to complete along with a form to be completed by your child’s current daycare or preschool teacher. Please return these forms promptly. They contain important information which needs to be reviewed by the Preschool Team before scheduling the screening. Upon receipt of the completed forms, you will be placed on a screening list and sent a letter with the next available screening date. We screen all preschoolers at the age of 3 year 1 month.
The Preschool Screening process takes about an hour and involves both you and your child. Your child will play “games” (which target articulation, language, reasoning, concepts, and motor skills) with members of the Preschool Team. At the same time, you and another staff member will complete a parent questionnaire and then discuss your child’s self-help skills and social-emotional development as well as review the screening results.
This is just a screening, not an evaluation. It screens for the presence of possible developmental delays. This screening will result in a determination as to whether your child is functioning within normal limits or is in need of further evaluation.
Sometimes a visit to your child’s nursery school or daycare setting is needed to complete the screening process. You will be asked to sign a permission form before this can be done.
Direct contact from your child’s pediatrician is always welcome.
The Milford Preschool Team includes a Speech/Language Pathologist, an Occupational Therapist, a Physical Therapist, a Preschool Special Ed. Teacher, a School Psychologist, and an Administrator.
Days, Hours, Fees
The Milford Public Schools Preschool schedule is uniquely flexible. Students may attend as few as 2 sessions a week or as many as 5.
The program operates a morning session and an afternoon session.
3-year old students are generally enrolled in the morning session for 2 ¾ hours per session.
4-year old students are generally enrolled in the afternoon session for 3 hours per session.
Please note, effective July 1, 2024, the tuition associated with attending our preschool programs will be a full pay model (five days per week) for all students. The full pay tuition is $3700. Tuition is paid on a monthly basis. Adjustments to tuition rates will not occur based on attendance (if your child attends less than five days, you will still be charged for five days). The fees associated with the annual tuition are based on the following household size and annual income (1040 tax form) and the state Office of Early Childhood sliding scale fee schedule.
Curriculum
Our Preschool Program curriculum follows the State of Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards.
Developmentally-appropriate activities are planned by each preschool teacher based on the age span of the children within each class. Our preschool classrooms have various centers specifically set up for play and learning. Centers include Reading, Math, Building/Blocks, Dress-Up/Pretend Play, Art, Music and Fine Motor Skills. Throughout the day, your child will have an opportunity to think, reason, experiment and participate in each center.
Skills that will be developed through play are:
♦Language
♦Mathematics
♦Social Development
♦Listening & Speaking
♦Thought Development
♦Motor Development
♦Daily Living Skills
♦Creative Expression
Click the image below for information on Sparkler, a play based learning app
