The Freetown/Lakeville Early Childhood Center is now accepting applications for 3-year-old community role model peers for the 2026/2027 school year! Role Model Criteria: Children must be residents of Freetown/Lakeville and turn age 3 between September 1, 2025 and August 31, 2026. In addition, families of community peer role model students must provide transportation to and from preschool and pay tuition quarterly. Tuition assistance forms are available to eligible families at the Special Education Office located at 98 Howland Road, Lakeville, MA 02347. For further questions, please contact the Special Education Office at (508) 923-2000 x1712.

The Integrated Preschool Program located at Freetown Elementary School is designed to meet the needs of preschool-aged children who are residents of Freetown or Lakeville and require Special Education services. Peer role models are an essential element of the integrated preschool experience, as role model students provide children who require Special Education services the opportunity to learn skills from typically developing peers through strategically designed lessons, games, and activities. Qualities that make an excellent community peer role model include:

• able to separate from parents

• follows directions from adults/teachers

• speaks clearly and models language for others

• shares, cooperates, is helpful and able to takes turns

• independent with self-help skills (i.e. toileting)

• can play in and accommodate to new social situations

• has age-appropriate developmental skills

• can work well in groups as well as alone

• engages in classroom activities

• transitions with flexibility to new environments/activities

The Integrated Preschool Classes at Freetown Elementary run 4 days/week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:20am-11:55am (for the 3-year-old program) and 12:55pm-3:30pm (for the4-year-old program). Interested parents should complete the application for Peer Role Model Screening between January 20, 2026 and February 13, 2026. All children who apply will be scheduled for an in-person role model screening held in March of 2026. Following the in-person screening, parents will be notified in writing whether or not their child has been accepted into the program.

Please answer the questions on the application pages as thoughtfully & thoroughly as possible.