About Sutter

Sutter Park is the home to Worthington City Schools' Early Childhood Program for children with special needs and typically developing children. We offer a range of services to students on IEPs while incorporating peer role models. We currently have 13 half-day teachers who have around 12 students in a morning class and 12 students in an afternoon class. Half of their students have been identified with special needs and half of their students are typically developing peers who serve as role models in the program.  Our 3 year-olds and early 4 year-olds attend the morning classes and our older four year-olds and 5 year-olds attend the afternoon classes. 

We also have 3 half-day teachers who have up to 6 special needs students in their classrooms but no typically developing peers. This program is now called Foundations.  Students are placed in the Foundations program based upon the intense needs identified in their IEPs.  Additionally, we have 2 half-day teachers who have up to 6 special needs students and 2-3 typically peer role models. This program is called our Cross-Categorical classroom. 

For Worthington families of special needs students who do not choose a center-based program or whose goals identified through the IEP can be met through itinerant services, we also have 1.5 itinerant teachers who provide services weekly at Sutter Park, in private preschools or within the home setting.

Our program has five Speech/Language Pathologists and four Occupational Therapists who provide services for our special needs children whose IEPs indicate the need.  They frequently have typically developing peers join them in activities to model skills for their peers. An Adapted Physical Education Teacher and Physical Therapist also provide services for those students who qualify for these services based upon their IEPs.