Sensory Room Brings Care to Preschool Programming

Learning starts early for most children, but for one group of students, learning is rooted in a sensory experience.

Preschool On College Street (POCS) serves the youngest LaRue County School children. This year, POCS has an exciting addition: a new sensory room.

“Our sensory room is a room that is equipped with different sensory equipment that can help students regulate their body and brain,” said POCS Principal Karen Ward. “There are many different sensory domains and different children have different needs within those domains.”

The sensory room will operate as a therapeutic space for some of the children POCS serves. The program is available to 4-year-old children who are labeled “at risk” by the state. It’s also available for 3-4-year-old children with disabilities or developmental delays. Ward noted that enrollment of any child is at the discretion of a parent or legal guardian.

Sensory rooms across the country help children with developmental disabilities harness their energies and regulate their responses to the world around them. The toys and tools within these rooms are often tactile-driven. Tools can vary from weighted blankets to lighting tubes to trampolines and other sensory seating that allow children to focus through movement.

“The sensory room can be used as an opportunity for an overstimulated child to decompress and reflect on behaviors and emotions before returning to their classroom,” Ward said.

The sensory room for POCS reflects LaRue County School’s commitment to ensuring that every child has access to the tools they need to succeed. Ward said that students come to school with a variety of needs, and it’s up to educators to provide help to address those needs in order for each child to be successful.

“So often the school environment is overwhelming and overstimulating for many children,” Ward said. “Our hope is that if we are able to give students an outlet to address sensory needs and learn calming and coping techniques while they are at the preschool age, their transitions throughout the rest of their school experiences will come much easier.”