IS Program Information

Children engage in enriching educational play-based experiences, explore learning materials and new concepts and ideas, while also building their motor and social skills as they prepare to enter into kindergarten. The APS Pre-K curriculum is research-based, fosters the development of literacy and math skills, and builds social-emotional foundations for lifetime learning. Pre-Math and Literacy skills are integrated into the curriculum as students enter the 3-year-old classrooms, and become a greater focus at the 4-year-old level.

Conscious Discipline is a research-based program that helps adults stay calm enough to see children’s “mistaken” behavior and upset emotions as an opportunity to teach instead of to punish. Conscious Discipline provides effective strategies for teaching identification of emotions, self-regulation, co-regulation, and friendship skills. All learning occurs in the higher centers of the brain. If our goal is for children to learn, we must help them manage their emotions first.

Starting in the 3-year-old classrooms, students are exposed to literacy through structured storytime using texts from the OWL (Opening the World of Learning) literacy curriculum. Repeated reading gives our children the opportunity to learn concepts through repetition, and begin to ask questions, make inferences, and make predictions about those concepts or themes. Starting in the 2021-22 school year, 3 and 4-year-old classrooms are integrating the Heggerty curriculum as part of daily literacy activities to systematically teach phonemic awareness skills.

Our 4-year-old classrooms learn math concepts (1:1 correspondence, pattern awareness, measurement) through the calendar-based routine of Every Day Counts

At Integration Station, we are committed to promoting equity as a program that serves our youngest students with disabilities and their families. Our aim is that all students are recognized for their potential, and that all families are welcomed, respected, and empowered to learn and grow with their children. As a preschool program, we place an emphasis on social-emotional learning and showing our students from an early age the values of a diverse and welcoming school community.

We follow the APS registration guidelines.

Documentation Needed to Register Your Child

• Proof of the child’s age and legal name–an original or certified copy of birth certificate
• Proof that the parent or legal guardian of the student lives in Arlington County–a copy of a current lease signed by lessor and lessee or tenant and landlord to show that the parent/guardian resides in Arlington County; or a copy of a mortgage agreement showing that the parent/guardian owns a home and resides in Arlington County
• Social Security Number or a Social Security Status Form
• Official school records from another school system or country, if applicable and available
• Medical information that includes immunization records as well as a physical examination and a tuberculosis screening done within the 12 months prior to starting school (See Health Requirements below.)

Health Requirements

1. The student’s medical information (examination, immunizations and tuberculosis screening) must be submitted on a Commonwealth of Virginia School Entrance Health Form (PDF).
2. The immunization record should list the month, day and year of immunization for the minimum requirements for entry to school.
3. Documentation of tuberculosis screening(PDF) done within the 12 months prior to school entry is required. This documentation must be signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, or local health department official. The documentation must include verification of a negative risk assessment or the results of a tuberculin skin test (TST) done within the prior 12 months. The original documentation must be submitted to the child’s school.
4. The Request for Entrance and Health Form (PDF) must be completed and submitted to the child’s school.
5. If your child will need medications, you will need the Authorization for Medication Release form.
6. If your child will need medications or special procedures during school, you may visit the Arlington County School Health Webpage for additional forms, including a Severe Allergy Care Plan.
   Questions can be answered by the school health office at 703-228-1626 or 1653.

You will receive some form of daily written communication from your child’s teacher. It is important that you read this information and communicate with us any important information about your child’s afternoon and evening ahead of the next day of school. We are also available by email and phone. Please see the staff directory for contact information. You will also receive periodic emails from our main office as well as backpack mail from time to time. Information about events, emergency closings/delays, and general information is shared using Parent Square, which parents are automatically enrolled in based on their registration information.

Meals at Integration Station are provided by the Good Food Company through our partnership with The Children’s School. All lunches include a starch, a protein, and a vegetable side, and fruit is included for all meals. Vegetarian options are available, please let your child’s teacher know if your child will be using the vegetarian meal plan.

If you would like to opt your child out of meals at school due to allergies or other food restrictions, please contact your child’s teacher to receive a form to be filled out by your child’s doctor.

Free and Reduced meals are available to APS students. Please fill out the Free & Reduced Meals application form and return it to the Integration Station Office.

Three special-needs buses serve our school, each with a driver and attendant. Integrated star seats are available for students. If a wheelchair lift is needed for students, this will be arranged. School staff meet the school buses each morning and escort the students from steps of the school bus into the school building. In the afternoon, we escort students to the steps of the school bus until they are with the driver and attendant in their seats. The school bus is a very important part of our students’ day and our students really enjoy this experience.

You will get a list of supplies from your child’s teacher during the last weeks of August. Generally all classes ask that a backpack that can be managed by your child be sent to and from school. Each child will be asked to have 2 changes of seasonally appropriate clothes (please label first and last name) at school and diapering supplies as needed.