Etiwanda School District receives GOAL award plus $5,000

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today presented the 2009 GOAL Award and a $5,000 check to the Creating Learning Opportunities and Understanding Differences in Students (C.L.O.U.D.S.) Preschool Program in Etiwanda. The award recognizes exemplary special education programs.

           "Congratulations to the C.L.O.U.D.S. program and its team of experts, including Kristin Ludovico and Dr. Samantha Pellitteri, for developing this wonderful special education program for preschool children," said O'Connell. "This program helps identify the needs of children early, and provides them high-quality and academically challeng-ing curricula that are important in setting the stage for their academic success later on in school. I encourage other schools districts to emulate the C.L.O.U.D.S. program."

           C.L.O.U.D.S. is located at Perdew Elementary School, Etiwanda Elementary School District, in San Bernardino County. Ludovico was a speech-language pathologist, and Pellitteri was the lead district psychologist in 2003 when they teamed up. They reevaluated the programs and services offered to the district's preschool special education students. This process revealed more and more evidence that the school district needed to create its own preschool program to meet the needs of its students, families, and community. C.L.O.U.D.S. was approved in 2005 by the Etiwanda School District's Board of Trustees - the first preschool program in the district's 125-year history. 

           Like other educational settings required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to include students with disabilities in the regular classroom with their nondisabled peers, C.L.O.U.D.S. offers the same type of "inclusion" in the preschool setting. C.L.O.U.D.S. has clearly defined goals: (1.) to meet the needs of individual students and promote the district's mission of excellence in education within a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment free from discrimination; (2.) to educate preschool students through a collaborative team approach including staff, students, parents, and community members; and (3.) to prepare each student for the transition to kindergarten and beyond.

The three-hour program addresses pre-academic, social-emotional, motor, self-help, and language skills using differentiated instruction to meet the unique needs of all students. Staff includes specialists in speech pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision therapy, deaf/hard of hearing, orientation and mobility, and adapted physical education in collaboration with highly qualified teachers and instructional aides.

"The success of the program can be attributed to the collaborative partnerships between district administration, site personnel, families, and community members," said Ludovico. "I am so proud of all the hard work everyone has put in to make a difference for every student."

"C.L.O.U.D.S. has been such a positive benefit for both typically developing students and students with disabilities," said Pellitteri. "It's amazing to see the students' progress with the implementation of structured routines and developmentally appropriate, yet academically challenging curricula, in a positive learning environment."

The California Advisory Commission on Special Education created the GOAL Award in 2005-06. GOAL stands for Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning and is named after Hollywood producer Brian Grazer. He donated $100,000 over a 10-year period toward programs designed to recognize exemplary practices in special education and to celebrate programs that serve California youth with disabilities and the professionals who provide these services.

"My visit to the C.L.O.U.D.S. program was inspiring," stated Stacy Begin of the California Advisory Commission on Special Education. "The collaboration and collegiality of the staff had a positive impact on the school culture. It was obvious that all students are benefitting from this successful preschool program."