About Developmental Pre-School & Kindergarten

PHILOSOPHY :
Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten of Plantation offers children a fun and exciting environment to build a healthy, positive self-concept, to develop communication abilities and learning modes. D.P.K. aims to prepare children for the formal education experience.

Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten provides services for children 2 years of age through 6 years. Instruction is individualized to meet each child’s needs, which enables the child to accelerate at his/her rate of learning. D.P.K. provides this enrichment within the framework of a traditional setting with a small pupil-teacher ratio. Each class has a very small age interval of several months to insure our developmentally appropriate curriculum.

THE FACILITY :
Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten of Plantation was designed and constructed in 1987 by Kathie G. O’Dwyer, M.S., C.C.C., slp, who continues to own and direct the school. D.P.K. provides a pleasant and secure environment. The school is equipped with the finest educational materials specifically geared toward each level.

There are ten spacious classrooms which have their own bathrooms. Each classroom can be viewed through the one-way observation booths which are available to parents at all times. The classrooms have a 12 to 20 student capacity depending upon age level. There is a Gymnasium, Computer Center, Children’s Library, and Music Room in addition to the main classrooms.

D.P.K.'s Computer Center has 10 modern and up to date computers. Our Advanced Kindergarten classroom is also equipped with computers. D.P.K. has over 1,000 books in the children’s borrowing Library. We are very proud of our Indoor Gymnasium in which students are instructed in the development of gross motor skills. Our Music Room provides an environment for rhythms, songs and elementary musical concepts which is unique to the early childhood setting. Our Kindergarten Publishing Center is an extra special plus for our young writers.

The Playground is a huge park like area with Pre-School climbing equipment designed for safety and action. The entire courtyard playground is fenced for safety. Within the confines of the playground but separately fenced and locked is our year-round, heated, 20x40 Swimming Pool which has a maximum depth of four feet. D.P.K. operates Swimming lessons during the school year on an individual and group basis. During summer camp, water safe children Swim daily.

 

 

SECURE ENTRANCE

THE PERSONNEL:

 

About the OWNER/DIRECTOR:

 

Ms. Kathie O’Dwyer holds her Master of Science Degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Her degree is in Speech-Hearing-Language Pathology. After graduating in 1972, Ms. O’Dwyer worked in the public schools of New York, Arizona and Louisiana. Her specialty is diagnosing and treating children with special needs. Her training has translated well into designing a curriculum for all pre-school and kindergarten children.

 

The staff consists of 10 teachers, who have been specifically trained by the Owner/Director in the neurological nature of learning. All Teachers have either a college degree or a Child Development Associate Credential and have extensive knowledge regarding Pre-School children and their developmental needs.

Each teacher works with a Teacher’s Assistant. The curriculum is closely supervised by the School Director and Assistant Director.

D.P.K. has several unique specialists who add to our creative services which insures the enjoyable and successful educational experience:

Physical Education Teacher
Reading Specialist
Pre-School Computer Specialist
Music Teacher
Speech-Hearing-Language Pathologist
Spanish Teacher

All Staff members have been fingerprinted and registered with the Child Abuse Registry. They have received 45 hours of In-Service training mandated by the State of Florida.

 

WELCOME TO DPK

 

OUR ADMINISTRATORS

 

Donna Silvious

Office Administrator

 

Kathie G. O’Dwyer M.S., C.C.C., slp

Owner/Director

 

Laurie Nanna

C.D.A Assistant Director

 

YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH US

THE CURRICULUM AND PROGRAM:
Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten of Plantation offers a very small age interval in each class to insure optimal growth and allow for developmental differentiation. D.P.K. believes in a true “hands-on” learning system.

There is a written curriculum, Learning Ladder ©, written by Kathie G. O’Dwyer. Learning Ladder © is specifically designed for Pre-School children. It is a series of objectives in developmental order covering Self-Help skills, Visual Processing, Gross and Fine Motor Coordination, Auditory Processing, Expressive and Receptive Language and basic Cognitive skills, Reading Readiness, Mathematics, and Language Arts. Each child’s progress is documented on his/her own Learning Ladder ©.

All class schedules include fun with music, creative movement, art, science, language arts, social skills, and puppetry. Each class has several opportunities weekly to participate in Music, Spanish, and Physical Education. Reading instruction with the Reading Specialist is given to all Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students. Computer and Library are offered to all children above three years.

CALENDAR:
Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten follows the Broward County Public School Calendar closely. The yearly calendar is tentatively issued prior to June of each year. (Children of working parents will be provided services during the Winter Recess and Spring Break at No Additional Charge.)

CLASS TIMES:
Classes will enter Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten of Plantation on a staggered basis from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Hours for each class will be assigned prior to the opening of school in August of each year. For our children of working parents, the building will be open and appropriately staffed from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES:
Parent teacher conferences may be scheduled at parent request. During the school year, Kindergarten conferences are held in January and June. Your child’s Learning Ladder © Cumulative record is available for your review. Parents should feel free to make use of our one-Way observation Booths.

TOILET TRAINING:

All children must be actively involved in toilet training to attend D.P.K. and must be trained by the age of three. Our very experienced two year old staff are very helpful in achieving toilet training skills. Ask for some great tips if you are involved in toilet training.

TUITION:
Tuition is based on the academic school year. For your convenience, payment will be accepted in monthly installments. The first payment is due July 1st of each year and the final payment is due on May 1st of each year. (Summer Camp is a separate tuition.) The annual registration fee is designed to accommodate rising insurance costs, application processing and attain a firm commitment to attendance at D.P.K

AFTERNOON ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS:
For some afternoon fun, please enroll in one of the many extra programs such as Playball, Spanish Club, Arts & Crafts, Science Club, Math Club, Early Reading, Swim. These programs are available for an extra charge.

EXTENDED DAY:
Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten will accept a limited number of children of working parents out of the total population. Parents may sign up for extended hours and /or early entry as an occasional need arises. Please inform the office staff should you need this service. We look forward to working with you and your child. Developmental Pre-School and Kindergarten of Plantation is committed to high quality and excellence in the area of early childhood education. Please feel free to
contact us with you questions and concerns at any time.