The Meredith Autism Program (MAP) preschool program enrolls five to six children who are typically developing, ages three years to five years old. All children must be potty trained and have no diagnosis or issues with social/emotional development. 

• Enrollment is now open and slots are available for typically developing children between the ages of 3-5 years old for five mornings per week. Children should be fully potty trained and eager to learn and help others.
• To apply, fill out the online form, or download the application (pdf) and return via mail to the Meredith Autism Program (3800 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27607), fax (919)760-8818. You can also scan and email the application to autism@meredith.edu.
• Tuition for the 2021-22 School Year: $350 per month for 5 mornings a week. Families will enroll for the entire academic calendar, with the exception of the two weeks in December when Meredith College is closed, and few staff development workdays for MAP staff.
• Tours are available upon request. Please contact MAP at (919) 760-2337 or wilkinso@meredith.edu

Current Safety Precautions

There will be a reduced number of children in the classroom (3-4 typical peers and 3-4 MAP peers each day; not to exceed 8 children and 4-5 adults). The class will remain together except in the case of rain when we will divide the group for indoor recess. All staff and students will take their temperature each day before coming to the MAP facility and attest to a morning health check statement. Staff and students in the classroom will work in masks and wear disposable gloves when touching faces and wiping noses. Children will be dropped off and picked up in the carpool line. Parents will remain in their vehicle. Temperatures will be checked upon arrival before the child exits from the car. There will be enhanced cleaning throughout the day especially of commonly touched surfaces and we will continue to have regular hand washing times (ensuring that all children are properly washing their hands with soap for 20-30 seconds). Safety precautions may be updated based on future NCDHHS guidance.

About the Explorers Classroom

The Explorers classroom also serves as an inclusive preschool setting for children on the autism spectrum enrolled in the MAP. Children enrolled are included throughout the week with a trained Meredith College student “shadow” for four to ten hours depending on each child’s abilities. The Explorers classroom is not an ABA classroom, but one using developmentally appropriate practice, focusing on social and emotional development. The goal is for children participating in our ABA program to take learned skills and make them functional in a typical, small group setting.

Operation Details

The Explorers classroom is a half day program which operates from the beginning of September through the end of May. The preschool day runs from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Children eat one snack and a lunch at school, provided by the child’s caregiver.  There are several days when the classroom is closed based on the MAP calendar including the last two weeks of December.

Our classroom does not celebrate religious holidays but is inclusive to families of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. The Explorers classroom helps families and children to accept all those who may seem different from one another through kindness and helpfulness.

Classroom Management & Emotional Development

Our classroom uses Conscious Discipline as a behavior support system. Conscious Discipline is an adult first, emotional intelligence model developed by Dr. Becky Baily. Based on current brain research, conscious discipline empowers adults and children to build positive relationships. The classroom is transformed into a school family where children learn tools to regulate their emotions and solve problems during teachable moments throughout the day. The school family climate encourages children to be helpful and kind, creating an environment where children feel safe to learn.  Children will learn tools to help them regulate their own behavior and be able to “keep it safe” in the classroom. We will breathe and talk about our feelings to gain better self-control and self-awareness. Conscious discipline is evidence based and used in all aged classrooms, as well as with adults.

Some of the basic principles used with this practice include (but are not limited to):

• Safety – Everything in the classroom is framed around safety.  The teacher is the safe keeper whose job is to keep the children safe.  The children’s job is to help keep it safe.   The traditional rules of a classroom are transformed into positive statements of ways to help keep it safe.
• Community – The classroom is a school family where everyone plays a part to contribute to its success.  Everyone has a job and plays a part in the daily operations of the class.  We encourage each other to be helpful and kind.
• Connection – The school family is the foundation of the connection in the classroom.  Teachers make meaningful connections to students and students make meaningful connections with each other.  Those connection motivate everyone in the classroom to contribute to its success.  We are all in this together!
• Self-Regulation – Children are taught the skills necessary to calmly respond to strong emotions.  Through breathing and using your big voice, children are able to respond to situations that create those emotions.  Practice during calm moments leads to success when emotions arise.

Curriculum & Teaching Strategies

We also use several teaching strategies in the classroom to teach across the various ages as we develop foundational skills in young preschoolers, and needed kindergarten skills in children turning five years old. Most of preschool teaching is incidental teaching in table activities, circle time and centers where math concepts, following schedules, turn-taking, fine motor skills, and other pre-academics are addressed in hands-on learning. There are several “hands-on” special activities to enhance the current learning theme.

Our classroom also uses Letterland from the UK to teach letters and phonics. “Letterland is a unique, phonics-based approach to teaching reading, writing and spelling to 3-8 year olds. The Letterland characters transform plain black letter shapes into child-friendly pictograms and they all live in an imaginary place called Letterland.”  Letters come alive for the children through loveable characters and memorable stories that make learning letter shapes and sounds fun.  Most Wake County schools have adopted the Letterland curriculum for use in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Introducing children to the characters and stories of Letterland in preschool gives them a head start to literacy success.

The Explorers classroom incorporates the Handwriting Without Tears program to teach pre-writing and writing skills for children. As Kindergarten curriculum becomes more and more academic it is important for children to have a solid foundation of writing skills prior to entering Kindergarten.  The Handwriting Without Tears readiness and writing curriculum exposes children to pre-writing skills in a fun and engaging way that can be tailored to each child’s needs and builds on their currently ability level.  Children will use the Get Set for School workbook along with hands on materials and songs as they explore letters and writing.  The readiness and writing curriculum focus on correct crayon grip, drawing, letter building, letter and number recognition.  The curriculum also focuses on correct letter formation using multi-sensory manipulatives. This program progressively develops fine motor strength and helps children work on the skills needed for their developmental level.