Preschool programs and early childhood intervention establish the fundamental skills and learning systems that set students up for success throughout their academic careers. Early experiences and exposure to literacy activities also help children with brain development and can enhance their cognitive abilities from an early age.
At the Watson Institute’s LEAP Preschool, typically-developing kids ages 3 to 5 learn alongside their peers with autism. In this inclusive setting, students learn valuable social and play skills, problem-solving and leadership skills, and learn to establish and follow daily routines, preparing them for Kindergarten.
Educators at LEAP provide a structured classroom setting with activities and playtime that is both educational and fosters social interactions between peers. One particular program at LEAP Preschool is also helping students engage in play and learning at home with their families, not just at school!
LEAP Preschool’s backpack program encourages early engagement in literacy activities by providing students with a book and themed materials and learning exercises that accompany the book. Each backpack is available for students to borrow and take home so they can engage in the activities with their family!
Each backpack contains a few items that relate to the theme of the book.
For example, one backpack includes the book, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” as well as plush toys that represent different parts of the story. Another backpack contains a book about dinosaurs and a wooden dinosaur puzzle. Each backpack has a list of the materials included to ensure no items are missing when it gets passed onto the next child.
Students get to take the backpacks home on Wednesdays and are asked to return them with all of the items included the following Monday. This provides preschoolers with the time and opportunity to engage in play and learning at home with their families.
The backpack options are cycled through each of LEAP Preschool’s classrooms every few weeks so all preschoolers get a chance to experience all of the different activities. Some of the backpacks are so popular with families that they have a waitlist of students eager to check them out!
The LEAP Preschool backpack program started in 2018 with the support of PNC’s Grow Up Great Program, which funded the purchase of the backpacks and materials. After the program went on pause during the pandemic, it was revitalized for the 2023-2024 school year by LEAP’s Behavior Technician, Lisa Hudecek.
In anticipation of the school year, she inventoried all of the items and materials, supplementing the backpacks with new books and activities, and creating a new system for students to “check out” the bags and track which ones went home with which family.
Structured play time and literacy activities that reinforce academic lessons as well as soft skills are important ways for young students, particularly preschoolers, to prepare for kindergarten. Providing preschoolers with opportunities to work on these skills at home with their families, not just in the classroom, encourages parents and siblings to get involved and supports each child’s development.
Learn how the Watson Institute’s LEAP Preschool delivers exceptional inclusive preschool programs for children ages 3 to 5 with autism and their typically-developing peers.