P.S. 4 K is an elementary cluster school, currently servicing all students with disability in classrooms with ratios of 6:1:1, 8:1:1, 12:1:1, 12:1:4 and HES.

We are located in East New York, Bedford Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills sections of Brooklyn. As a cluster we are housed in four community schools and in the annex of a fifth school. We are geographically located within three school districts: 14, 16 and 19 in primarily low-income residential neighborhoods.

We service students with learning disabilities, autism, emotional and behavior problems, multiple disabilities, as well as cognitive and communication difficulties. Many of our students need special education supports and related services in order to achieve academically, socially, and behaviorally.

Students are currently being placed in accordance with the new continuum of services, as pendancy classes are being transitioned to the new continuum ratios. Parents/Guardians are actively involved in this transition process.

We continue to work towards meeting LRE and IDEA statutes. We have students who participate in inclusion, mainstreaming, and integration programs in general education classes. P4K organization has made great strides in integrating our students within our community schools for assembly performances, lunch programs and literacy -based activities.

Our Brooklyn community supports many positive hand-on learning experiences for our students. The P4K Paradise garden, granted permanent status by the New York City Parks and Recreations Department, continues to provide many students ongoing outdoor learning experiences. Each week, we have seventeen P4K classes and four PS 65/ PS 345K general education classes visit the garden, where students participate in activities that serve to expand and integrate literacy, science and vocational activities. The City parks Foundation sponsors "Arts in the Parks" performances for our students and the neighboring school community. Sixteen classes participate in a weekly swimming program, were self- confidence and trust building are as important a component as is the actual swimming.

P4K students and staff continue to benefit from special programs that came about as a result of grants, district-sponsored activities, and other educational initiates. Projects Arts, Special Arts Program, Creative Music, teacher's and Writer's Collaborative, Artgenesis and Young Audience were programs that helped to integrate the arts and enhance literacy across the curriculum areas. Theses special programs complimented our existing educational programs.

Our classrooms are literacy and print rich. There are two sophisticated computers in each classroom, along with a color printer. Each classroom has one digital camera. Each site has a scanner and a video camera that are accessible to all staff. All standardized assessment classroom have an overhead projector in place for instruction.

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