Pre-K Navigators
The MECK Pre-K Navigator Team works in partnership with Mecklenburg County’s free Pre-K program to provide clinical and behavioral support services to children experiencing social and/or emotional behavior disruptions, and to provide coaching, support, and toolbox enhancement to their teachers.
This program is free-of-charge, and was created to provide a high-quality pre-Kindergarten education for children who may not otherwise have access.
Serving all of Mecklenburg County
We serve all 88 MECK Pre-K classrooms, which are spread across the county, embedded in childcare centers. Children are involved with our program for 3-4 months on average.
Meck Pre-K is available to children who turn four years old on or before August 31, live in Mecklenburg County, and whose families are at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.
How we do it
We provide comprehensive clinical assessments, linkage to an array of services, classroom-based behavior intervention, and continued case management throughout the school year, in addition to offering workshops and trainings to promote a culture of learning among childcare providers. These workshops promote teacher development and help them build skills through individual goal-setting and coaching, as a way to positively impact the whole classroom environment.
We create customized plans for care for individual children who require a higher level of intervention, as well as a smooth continuum of care for children and families who may need support outside of the classroom, with the ability to make internal referrals to evidence-based clinical treatments, such as the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.
Pre-K Navigators uses evidence-based practices
We utilize the evidence-based Pyramid Model and Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) as a way to provide a universal, classroom-based impact that gives teachers the skills to manage problematic behaviors and to prevent behavior disruptions by implementing a strong culture of promoting social-emotional learning.
Our educators are also trained in Positive Early Childhood Educators, which is also evidence-based. Additionally, we have two specialists training in the Incredible Years, as well as three trained in Triple P.
So how do referrals find our program?
A teacher may refer a child to the MECK Pre-K program due to disruptive, externalized behaviors negatively impacting the classroom, or a childcare center director may refer a classroom for support when they have a teacher with less experience, or could benefit from expanding their toolbox.
Once the children begins our program, they have the opportunity to succeed.
Our work positively impacts the youth
Every day, we find examples here at Thompson where our work in the Pre-K Navigators program directly impacts the lives of not only the youth we serve, but the families they both come from and live with, as well as the greater community:
The success model for Pre-K Navigators
So what does success look like for children who go through the Pre-K Navigators program?
We succeed when we impact lives.
- We impact lives when we help a child who previously experienced social trauma to overcome the issues caused by trauma, so they can avoid bad outcomes.
- We impact lives when we help a young child expand their educational toolbox, so they are prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom.
- We impact lives when we help a child who previously struggled with uncontrollable behaviors to learn disciple and self-control through targeted therapy sessions.
- We impact lives when we create a classroom environment where a teacher has less behavior-based distractions, and can focus on giving the highest level of quality education to their students.
- We impact lives when we provide this program free of charge to deserving families, helping to end the cycle of intergenerational poverty for so many.
For more information
Referrals for services are made through MECK Pre-K centers. For more information, contact meckprekreferral@thompsoncff.org.
Other Related Links
*FY19-20 Results