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MEEP Program Description

The Medford Early Education Program (MEEP) is an inclusive preschool program designed to serve students with and without disabilities. There are currently 10 MEEP classes with varying lengths of day:

  • Brooks Elementary School - Three Classes
    • One Full Day Session
    • One AM Half-Day Session
    • One PM Half-Day Session
  • Missituk Elementary - Seven Classes
    • Three Full Day Sessions
    • Two AM Half-Day Sessions
    • Two PM Half-Day Sessions

MEEP serves students ages 3 through 5 who are not yet eligible for kindergarten. There are up to 15 children in each class. Up to seven students in each class are students with disabilities whose IEP Teams have placed them in that specific classroom. Up to eight students in each class are students without disabilities who enter through the application process.

Each MEEP class is led by a teacher and has at least 1 paraprofessional. Related service providers such as Physical Therapists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Teachers of the Deaf, Teachers of the Visually Impaired, and Behavior Specialists may also spend time in the classrooms.

The MEEP teachers and staff recognize that the primary goals of early childhood education are to promote independence, self-confidence, self-esteem, and an enthusiasm for learning. These qualities are essential to future educational success.

MEEP is designed to provide children with a safe, secure, and nurturing environment in which they can learn about themselves, each other, and the world around them. MEEP follows the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Preschool, which address the development of the whole child in areas including cognition, communication, social interaction, play skills, motor abilities, and self-help skills.

The daily MEEP schedule differs by class but all schedules are intended to balance indoor and outdoor periods, active and quiet times, and individual, small group, and whole group activities. The program offers opportunities for a wide variety of experiences; paint, puzzles, clay, play-doh, water, sand, blocks, manipulatives, music, movement, books, and dramatic play. Children are encouraged and taught to make choices among a range of activities, especially those that are based on their own interests and experiences.

A major component of MEEP is to help children develop positive self-esteem and an enjoyment of learning. Emphasis is placed on the child’s capacity to develop and enjoy friendships, to begin to learn to resolve conflicts and to learn respect for the feelings, ideas, and differences of others. The program values each child’s unique abilities and facilitates development at a pace and level consistent with each child’s ability.