Vestavia Hills City Schools (VHCS) is responsible for serving children eligible to receive special education aged three through five years. Children who require special education services, as determined by the child’s Individual Education Program team, attend Vestavia Hills Preschool located at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, Vestavia Hills Elementary East, or Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park. The preschool class is designed to be an inclusive preschool program for 3, 4, and 5 year olds with and without disabilities. ALL students are taught by highly qualified, certified teachers following state standards in order to prepare students for their Kindergarten year. Teachers are using the Alabama Standards for early learning and development to guide their instruction and lesson planning. Your teacher will report to you throughout the year on your child’s progress toward these standards.

The Vestavia Hills Preschool is based on the philosophy of Developmentally Appropriate Practice, which means that the emphasis is on learning through a language-rich, play-based child-initiated approach. Instruction for each child is age appropriate as well as individualized for the child’s developmental level. The curriculum is organized to facilitate children’s development in six major areas: cognition, communication, self-help, motor skills, social- emotional, and play skills. Each class is staffed by certified teachers, trained paraprofessionals, and related service providers (as needed), such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Learn more about the VHCS Preschool program in the Vestavia Hills Magazine.