Baudhuin Preschool, The Academy, & Starting Right Preschool Programs

The Baudhuin Preschool, The Academy, and the Starting Right program, all within the Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, have fully recuperated from the challenges experienced during the pandemic. The Baudhuin Preschool and The Academy are fully staffed and able to increase their enrollment by ten percent (10%) for the 2023-2024 school year. Furthermore, for the first time since before the pandemic, our graduations will be held in person. The Starting Right program is at capacity, and the classroom next door to the program is being converted into an indoor gym, providing gross motor experiences for those days when students and caregivers are not able to go outside.

The Baudhuin Preschool maintains its partnership with the Dental Clinic at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and with The Broward Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA). In the spring of this year, BCPA brought the Brazilian Voices choir to conduct a sensory-inclusive performance for our students and staff members.

Two main focal points for the Baudhuin Preschool remain to provide high-quality educational programming and inform evidence-based practices in the field. Thus, we continue to operate as a university-wide lab school supporting academic programs and preparing the next generation of professionals who will serve children with autism and their families by providing high-quality, closely mentored clinical experiences. Our classrooms serve as a training site for students pursuing a degree at NSU and other educational institutions at all degree levels (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral) in a range of disciplines (Education, Human Services, Child Development, Applied Behavior Analysis, Speech-Language Pathology, Osteopathic Medicine, Dental Medicine, Counseling, and Physical Therapy). Students completing supervised field experience or fieldwork hours, practicums, or internships gain holistic learning experiences at the Baudhuin Preschool. For instance, students from the NSU College of Dental Medicine participated in a school-wide rotation at the Baudhuin Preschool, providing hands-on, small-group instruction, focused on dental health routines, to our students. Another productive experience was the involvement of physical therapy students from the NSU College of Health Care Sciences with the Young Athletes Program run at the Baudhuin Preschool. Throughout the school year, once a week, the physical therapy students, supervised by their professor, took over the Baudhuin Preschool gym and guided our preschoolers through a series of physical activities that were not only fun but also therapeutic.

There are also opportunities for faculty and students to participate in independent or cooperative research involving the school, students, teachers, and parents, and to explore teaching, learning, and the emotional, social, and intellectual development and well-being of children with autism spectrum disorders. Additionally, the Baudhuin Preschool continues to fulfill its obligations with the School Board of Broward County and is in the process of renewing its contract with the District for the 2023-2024 school year.

The 2022-2023 school year was filled with accomplishments for the Baudhuin Preschool. Among those accomplishments, the one we are most proud of is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reaccreditation of the Marilyn Segal Early Childhood Studies Center, of which the Baudhuin Preschool is part. Our staff members worked hard for this recognition, and our efforts paid off in the end: We continue to be NAEYC certified!