Public or private preschool for developmentally delayed child (Virginia Beach, Hampton: how much, school district)

[ruthfp1992]

My child is developmentally delayed (speech disorder) and I would like to put him in a preschool program this fall. Does anyone know if the preschool program thru the City of Virginia Beach public school is any good? He is eligible for this and has already been through the screening process.

Also, I have heard about a place called Linkhorn academy that has a pre-k program for kids with autism and developmental delays. Does anyone know if this is a good school?

Another place I've read about is Circle Time Early Leanring Program thru Atlantic Speech Therapy. Does anyone know about this program and whether if it is good?

If anyone knows of any other preschools for special needs children in the Hampton Roads area, please let me know. Thanks.

[Belle77]

My son had GREAT success with the VBPS preschool program. He attended North Landing Elementary School. I suggest you visit the public school your child would attend. My son's teachers were very open to this. I sat in on a couple of classes which gave me a clear picture of their program and the way things are run. He has developmental delays, particularly in speech. My husband and I are amazed at how much he learned in such a short time. Today is the last full day of school, btw. Tomorrow and Thurs. are half days.

[steph_h]

I second VBPS Pre-K program. My son attended Landstown Elementary this year and he enjoyed it alot. The teachers and assistants are wonderful. Good luck on your decision.

[ruthfp1992]

Thanks for the responses! I was wondering if either of you considered any other options before choosing the VBPS pre-k program?

Last month, I visited the public school my son would attend in the fall. I was not exactly impressed by what I saw. I am concerned that with up to 8 kids in the classroom my son will not get enough attention from the teachers. Also, the teachers and assistants didn't really seem that happy that day. I even observed a speech therapy session led by a speech therapist. Even she didn't seem too enthused to be there. As for the kids, they looked kind of bored to me.

Maybe this particular school's pre-k program is not as good as Landstown or North Landing. Anyway thanks for the info!

[steph_h]

No, we didn't consider anything else. We just got very lucky with our Pre-K in Fairfax County in Northern VA as well as here. We have been very happy with both of our experiences. Good luck with your decision.

[Belle77]

I didn't look around at other schools either. If you aren't comfortable with the public school you visited you might try to have your child bussed to another school. North Landing Elementary is out of our school district, but it had openings unlike the school in our area. My son was in a class of 7 boys total. They were a tight knit group and had a BLAST together. It was a wonderful experience for them.