MUSD Receives $25K Grant to Bring Inclusive Classes to Preschool
(Moorpark, California) January 26, 2024—A $25,000 grant from the California Department of Education will help Moorpark Unified School District in advancing its commitment to bringing special education students into general education classes.
Moorpark Unified’s Director of Special Education Lilia Magana said the district received confirmation in early January that it would receive the $25,000 grant for the Supporting Inclusive Practices (SIP) grant. MUSD is the only district in Ventura County to receive the SIP grant.
"We are proud to be the only preschool program in the county to receive this grant, and we are excited about the positive impact it will have on our students and our teachers,” Magana said.
The money will be used to train 23 Moorpark Preschools staff members: six general education teachers, five special education teachers and 12 paraeducators who serve the Moorpark Preschools’ general education students.
They will receive additional pay to take part in extra training to learn co-teaching strategies and best practices that support inclusive education.
The training has allowed Moorpark Preschool to recently open two inclusive classes, offering free preschool to 32 students—evenly split between 16 typically developing children and 16 special needs students.
Inclusive education, the bringing together of general education and special education students, has been done in Moorpark Unified for nearly 20 years at the high school level and over the past decade at its middle schools.
The practice requires a co-taught class that brings together a general education teacher and a special education teacher in a classroom. Because of Moorpark Unified’s proven success with inclusive education at the upper grade levels, Magana said the Department of Education had asked MUSD to apply for the SIP grant.
The grant, Magana said, will help bring inclusive education to the district’s youngest learners.
Dr. Danielle Linklater, a behaviorist with a decade of experience within Moorpark Unified, will play a pivotal role in helping preschool educators learn how to co-teach and incorporate inclusive practices into the classroom. Linklater will provide recommendations to improve lesson plans, consult on the functionality and design of the classroom and offer behavior strategies.
“These two co-taught classrooms at Moorpark Preschool are reinforcing the district's dedication to providing an inclusive educational environment,” Magana said. "Our goals include sharing a belief system with co-teachers on how to distribute roles and responsibilities in the classroom. We want our teachers to cooperate and collaborate effectively to support all students in the classroom.”
Magana said a growing amount of research shows that the academic performance of special needs students significantly improves when they are brought into a general education classroom.
The preschool program will focus on developing pre-academic skills, including motor skills, as well as learning colors, shapes and letters. Additionally, the inclusive practices aim to enhance social development, providing students with a routine, fostering kindergarten readiness skills and promoting play-based learning for language development and social skills.
"I would like to recognize the compassion our general education teachers are expressing while working with students who have diverse needs. Their dedication is essential to the success of this program," Magana said.