The Dysart Unified School District has earned two of only four LEAP certifications for preschool classrooms in Arizona.

One classroom is at Asante Preparatory Academy, and the other at Rancho Gabriela Elementary School, and both are now officially certified as LEAP Preschool Model Classrooms.

LEAP stands for “Learning Experiences Alternative Program for Preschoolers and their Parents,” and is a model brought to Dysart through a competitive grant with the Arizona Department of Education and the Positive Early Learning Experiences Center at the University of Denver.

LEAP Preschools focus on providing a science and research-based inclusive preschool model both for typically developing children and their peers that qualify for Exceptional Student Services. The certification was a two-year process that involved a direct coaching model which trained classroom staff on the LEAP Quality Program Indicators, which include:

• Classroom organization
• Teaching strategies
• Promoting social interactions
• Teaching communication skills
• Interactions with children
• Interaction with families
• Individualized education plans and measuring progress

Fourteen staff members who went through this train-the-trainer style program earned the certification, which lasts for three years. Dysart plans to continue partnering with the University of Denver to be a demonstration district for high quality preschool inclusion, and to continue expanding the program within the district to enhance the opportunities for all preschool children.

“Having concrete strategies and support sets the foundation for learning for our youngest learners,” said Shara Rose, Dysart’s ESS coordinator. “From the physical classroom setup, to predictable and structured routines, and explicit individualized teaching methods, we are able to provide concrete strategies that allow all students to engage and learn from one another in a routine and intentional classroom environment.

“For students with identified disabilities, the opportunity to engage and meaningfully participate with non-disabled peers in their neighborhood school allows them the opportunity to develop and apply skills learned in a natural environment.”