Brandon Twp.- It’s a Monday afternoon and the B.E.E.S. program is buzzing at Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School.
In the Brandon Early Education Services 4 and 5-year-olds class, children laugh at a story teacher Liz Napier is reading to them, as they sit in a circle. Next door, in another 4-and-5-year-old classroom, teacher Janelle Soucie is also having circle time, with games and music.
‘Every day is a new day in this program,? says Soucie. ‘They grow so much.?
B.E.E.S., which also has classes for 3-year-olds, as well as birth to 2-years-old, is an early intervention program intended for children with two or more developmental delays, or behavior issues.
Skills worked on in the program include fine motor, gross motor, language development and pre-academic skills. Classes are small, with only 10 students to each class. Napier and Soucie each have parapros, as does teacher Bridget Mayer, who oversees the birth-2 class. Parents are also encouraged to spend time in the classroom when they can.
Christina Young’s daughter, Lucie Morris, 5, was born with cerebral palsy and has been in B.E.E.S. since she was 10-months-old. Tiffany Adams daughter, Sydney, born with minor medical issues
‘She has done more than I could have imagined,? says Young, looking at her daughter across the room as a parapro helps Lucie stand. ‘From day one, it’s been leaps and bounds of progress.?
Besides standing with assistance, Lucie now sits up on her own, and gazes at different objects.
Tiffany Adams? daughter, Sydney, was born with minor medical issues and has been in the program since she was 4-months-old. As a baby, Sydney had reflux and a feeding tube. Now, she works on her fine motor and gross motor skills and receives speech therapy.
‘She loves to come to school,? says Adams. ‘This has been our way of life. Without it, she would have gotten lost in the system.?
Both Adams and Young say the teachers have also taught them how to apply what the kids are doing at school at home.
‘The teachers and therapists make the program,? says Young. ‘They treat the kids like they are their own children. They love them.?
Adams agrees.
‘It’s not just a job for them. They know each child’s limits, and yet, still can challenge them.?
Brandon Special Education Director Pam Schoemer says many parents still are not aware of the program, and that they do not have to take their children to another district for special education preschool.
The program has been in existence eight years and if a parent has questions, they can call the teacher coordinator and through a series of questions, it can be determined if a child needs to come in for an evaluation.
‘It meets the needs of our youngest children,? says Schoemer. ‘We can many times remediate a problem and the kids may make such significant progress that they can join general education when they reach kindergarten.?
For more information on the B.E.E.S. program, call (248) 627-