Benton County Preschool

Extra Special Preschool

Extra Special Preschool provides an inclusive education for young children, three and four years of age, who have speech/ language or other developmental delays. Activities are offered to meet the growing physical, emotional, and cognitive needs of each learner with special emphasis being placed on language and social skills. The preschool classes also include typically developing children who provide language and social models for the children along with enhancing early friendships.

The preschool classes are funded through the Benton County Public School System. Staff members include early childhood special education teacher, special education teachers, a speech and language pathologist, and teacher assistants. Other related services (physical and occupational therapy) are provided at school as needed. The preschool serves all of Benton County, but is located at Camden Elementary School. As a part of Camden Elementary School, our preschool enjoys special programs and activities provided by the school along with music, art, physical education and library classes.

Voluntary Pre-K Program

The Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee initiative is to provide for Tennessee's four-year old children, with the first priority to those four-year olds who are at-risk, an opportunity to develop school readiness skills (pre-academic and social skills) in an environment that fosters the love and joy of learning and promotes success in kindergarten and throughout the child's life. Benton County's Voluntary Pre-K classroom is located at Camden Elementary, but serves students across the entire county.  Our preschoolers attend school on the same schedule as other Camden Elementary students.  For more information about the benefits of early childhood education, please visit the Governor's Pre-K Web page at http://www.tennessee.gov/governor/prek/

Parent Involvement

Parent involvement is encouraged with an open door policy which invites parents into the classroom as observers, tutors, and workers. Parents are kept informed and involved through monthly calendars and newsletters. Parents are also informed of progress each six weeks through report cards and goal sheets.
Our developmentally appropriate curriculum consists of thematic language based integrated instruction which allows for both child initiated and teacher directed lessons. Learning themes are chosen with attention to age group and individual appropriateness.
At preschool we pledge to provide a safe, nurturing, and carefully organized environment that encourages exploration and active engagement. Our program has a predictable, yet flexible schedule which will allow your child the freedom to grow into a lifelong learner.