School Readiness Program
School Readiness Program
LEVEL UP refers to a structured school readiness program initiative at The Speech Clinic Dubai designed to help children develop the essential skills needed for a smooth transition into a learning environment. It focuses on fostering cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth through individualized support, empowering children to participate, learn, and thrive at their own pace.
We begin by recognizing each child's unique strengths and needs. Our program is designed to include every child in a nurturing and supportive community, ensuring they feel valued and understood. Through personalized support, we provide the tools and guidance necessary for learning and growth. Ultimately, our goal is to empower each child to achieve their full potential, setting them on a path towards academic and personal success.
Preparing Children For a Successful Start
The program ensures that children can participate, learn, and thrive in school at their own pace, fostering both academic and personal growth. To assess each child's readiness and developmental progress, we use specialized tools like the MDPS Tool and VB-MAPP. These assessments help evaluate each child's developmental needs, ensuring they are prepared for their educational journey.
Our program is divided into two key groups :
- The Pre-academic Group
- The Functional Group
These groups are determined based on each child's functional level and the support they require. The Pre-academic Group focuses on foundational skills necessary for academic learning, while the Functional Group addresses skills for daily living, social interaction, and functional independence. This structure ensures that every child receives the appropriate support and tailored learning experience to help them succeed.
Preparing Children For a Successful Start
LEVEL UP refers to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that help children succeed in a structured learning environment. It encompasses cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development, ensuring that children can engage in learning, follow instructions, and interact positively with peers and teachers.
Our program offers a comprehensive approach to supporting each child's unique educational needs through the development of :
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Student Profile
- Detailed Case History
- Sensory Profile
- Behavior Profile
One-to-one individual therapy sessions are also included for children who require additional support to enhance their learning and development.
The IEP is a customized plan created to address the specific learning goals and required accommodations for each student, ensuring they receive the necessary support to succeed academically and personally. The Student Profile serves as an in-depth overview of the child, highlighting their strengths, challenges, and preferred learning styles, which allows our educators to tailor instruction and strategies to maximize their potential.
The Case History provides valuable background information, including the student's medical, developmental, and educational history. This helps our team understand the context of the child's learning journey and any previous interventions or strategies that may have been effective or need adjustment. The Sensory Profile assesses how a child responds to sensory stimuli, such as sounds, textures, and visual inputs. This information guides us in creating a classroom environment that is comfortable and conducive to their learning and emotional well-being. Lastly, the Behavior Profile tracks the child‘s behavioral patterns, identifying any triggers or challenges, and allows us to develop effective strategies to manage and support positive behavior development.
By integrating these comprehensive assessments, our program ensures that each child receives a holistic, personalized learning experience that fosters growth, confidence, and success in all areas of development.
Why Is LEVEL UP Important?
LEVEL UP ensures that children enter school with a strong foundation for learning. It helps them:
- Adjust to classroom routines and expectations
- Build positive relationships with teachers and peers
- Develop the confidence to explore and learn at their own pace
The Heart Of Our Program
Our program is led by a dedicated team of special educators and assistant teachers who are committed to providing personalized support and fostering the development of each child. With their expertise, they guide children through key developmental areas such as gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social interaction, and activities of daily living (ADL), ensuring that each child receives the individual attention and encouragement they need. From enhancing reading and literacy to nurturing play skills and promoting recreation & leisure activities, our team creates a supportive environment tailored to the unique needs of each child. The collaboration between special educators and assistant teachers ensures that every child can engage with the program at their own pace, developing essential skills for academic success, social participation, and independent living. Their compassionate and professional approach makes a meaningful difference in each child's educational journey, setting them up for a lifetime of growth and learning.
Key Focus Areas Of Development
Gross Motor Skills:
Developing strength, coordination, and balance through activities like walking, running, jumping, climbing, and throwing.
Fine Motor Skills:
Enhancing hand-eye coordination and dexterity through activities such as writing, cutting, buttoning, and using small objects.
Social Interaction:
Encouraging relationships and communication skills through group play, sharing, turn-taking, and cooperative learning activities.
ADL Skills (Activities of Daily Living):
Supporting independence in self-care tasks like dressing, eating, toileting, and personal hygiene.
Reading and Literacy:
Recognizing letters, sounds, and understanding written language through storytelling, phonics practice, and picture books.
Writing:
Developing tracing, drawing, forming letters, and sentence writing skills.
Numeracy:
Understanding numbers, patterns, and basic math concepts through activities such as counting, sorting, and simple addition and subtraction.
Expressive and Receptive Language:
Encouraging conversations, answering questions, and listening exercises to help children express thoughts and understand spoken language.
Play Skills:
Enhancing creativity, problem-solving, and social engagement through pretend play, role-playing, and structured games.
Recreation & Leisure Activities:
Engaging in sports, music, dance, and outdoor exploration.
Extracurricular Activities:
Exploring art, drama, music, and sports clubs to expand skills beyond academics and discover new talents.
Group Activities:
Participating in circle time discussions, group storytelling, and team-building games to promote social interaction, creativity, cooperation, and turn-taking.
By focusing on these essential developmental areas, we help children build the skills needed for academic success, social participation, and independent living.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is the School Readiness Program?
Our School Readiness Program, called LEVEL UP, is a structured initiative designed to help children develop the essential skills needed to transition smoothly into a formal learning environment. It supports cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth so your child can participate, learn and thrive at their own pace.
?What kinds of skills does the School Readiness Program focus on?
We focus on key developmental areas including:
- • Gross motor skills (running, jumping, balance)
- • Fine motor skills (drawing, cutting, buttoning)
- • Social interaction (sharing, turn-taking, cooperating)
- • Activities of daily living (self-care, independence)
- • Reading, writing and numeracy readiness (letters, numbers, patterns)
- • Expressive and receptive language (listening, speaking)
- • Play skills, recreation & leisure to encourage creativity and social engagement
?How is the School Readiness Program delivered (group, individual, home-school support)?
The program is delivered by a team of special educators and assistant teachers in a small-group setting, and includes one-to-one sessions when required. We also involve home and school carry-over strategies so the skills generalize beyond the clinic.
?How does the School Readiness Program fit into the Dubai & UAE context?
Our clinic in Dubai Healthcare City is familiar with UAE schools, cultural norms and family routines. The readiness program is designed with your child's everyday environment in mind — home, school, and community — to make transitions smoother and more meaningful.
?How do I know if my child might benefit from this School Readiness Program?
You may consider this program if your child:
- • Struggles with transitioning to a structured pre-school/school routine
- • Has difficulty with peer interaction, following group instructions or sharing
- • Has delayed motor, social or self-care skills compared to age peers
- • Needs structured support to build foundational academic, play or self-help skills
If you see any of these signs, the readiness programme could be a helpful step.
?Which age groups do you support in the School Readiness Program?
The program is tailored to children preparing for school. While our general services cover children up to 16, this readiness program is focused on children at the pre-school / early school entry stage.
?How do you assess my child and determine which group they should join?
We begin with assessments using tools such as the MDPS and VB-MAPP to evaluate each child's developmental profile. From there, children are placed into one of two groups:
- • Pre-academic Group: Focused on foundational academic readiness
- • Functional Group: Focused on daily living, social skills and functional independence
?Why is school readiness important for my child?
Being prepared for school means your child can adjust to classroom routines, build positive relationships with peers and teachers, develop confidence and be ready to learn. Our program helps build that foundation—so your child is not just ready academically, but socially and emotionally too.
?How are parents involved in the School Readiness Program?
Parents are key partners. We provide you with detailed profiles (student profile, behaviour profile, sensory profile), goal-setting sessions, updates and strategies to reinforce learning at home. Your involvement helps maximise progress.