Indian Neck School

Welcome to Indian Neck School

A woman with short blonde hair smiles at the camera, wearing a striped t-shirt.

To the Branford Community,

As the Director of Early Childhood, I am honored to introduce you to our Pre-K and school-aged childcare (SACC) programs. Our district is very fortunate to have a range of offerings for young children and families. If you’d like to discuss the programs that we offer, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

At Indian Neck School, we have several Pre-K programs. The Family Resource Center operates an Early Start Pre-K, which provides a full-day, full-year program for children aged 2 years 8 months to Kindergarten age. The program is grant-funded and offers fees on a sliding scale. Additionally, we have an integrated preschool program, where students can attend alongside their peers with special needs. The integrated program has both half-day and full-day classrooms. Finally, we have a full-day Pre-K program for students who turn 4 on or before September 1. The curriculum for this program connects to the district's Kindergarten curriculum. Also, these students enjoy daily enrichment opportunities, such as physical education, music, library, and sign language. Regardless of program, all of Branford’s Pre-K classrooms are play-based and support children’s holistic development. The curriculum is consistent across all three programs; teachers provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of the students in front of them.

For families that need additional childcare before or after school hours, our SACC program operates at all three elementary schools, as well as at Indian Neck School. The fee-based program is for students from Pre-K through grade 6. If you’d like to know more about SACC availability, please reach out to our Business Manager, Pam DeMaio, at pdemaio@branfordschools.org.

The faculty and staff of the Pre-K and SACC programs are focused on providing children with joyful learning experiences. However, family partnership is a critical component. We look forward to working with our families and would be happy to discuss these programs in more depth. You can contact me at lskultety@branfordschools.org.

With warm regards,

Lauren Skultety,
Director of Early Childhood

About Our Programs

Mission
We are committed to fostering the growth of the whole child, by providing purposeful, child-centered instruction, in a nurturing, play-based environment.

Vision
We envision compassionate, independent thinkers, who value inclusivity and are motivated by curiosity and a love for learning.

Philosophy

We strive to provide an environment that protects children’s health and safety, stimulates learning, and supports a child’s individual growth, while respecting their unique development. We are committed to providing a high-quality, play-based Pre-K experience that enhances each child’s holistic development. Children enter a safe, enriching environment, where they’re encouraged to explore and create, under the guidance and supervision of a nurturing, highly-qualified staff. Teachers work to promote positive self-esteem while simultaneously focusing on children’s social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development. We facilitate each child’s sense of agency by providing choice and offering opportunities for a variety of skill levels. Teachers provide learning experiences that align with the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT-ELDS) and follow with the Branford Pre-K emergent curriculum. Ongoing professional learning is provided to our teachers to help them refine their skills in all of these areas, ensuring that student needs are met to the greatest extent possible.

We believe that a family is the child’s first and best teacher. We recognize the importance of diversity and understanding the families we serve in our community. Therefore, we are committed to family involvement, offering ways to participate in our programs without putting additional stress on busy schedules. Our goal is to work in partnership with each family to focus on the individual needs of their child. Frequent contact, family programs, and family events are some of the ways that we keep lines of communication open and help families feel included in our programs.

small children