The 2025 school year is off to a wonderful start in Hamilton Community Schools’ Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classroom, led by veteran teacher Mrs. Laura Modreske with support from Brittany Jones.
From the very first days, students have been settling into their routines, learning, and growing. “I think we’re off to a great start this year,” said Mrs. Modreske. “The kids are picking up quickly on the routine. All of the people that are helping the kids and assisting them are fabulous. And I’m really enjoying the start to this school year.”
Inside the classroom, songs, hand motions, and interactive activities help guide the learning process. Whether it’s a familiar tune like Open, Shut Them or a simple sharing moment between classmates, the focus is always on building connections.
At the heart of the ECSE program is language development. “Our role here in ECSE is to build a solid foundation for kids that come in with deficits in different areas,” explained Modreske. “We want to encourage language. That is our big focus in our classroom—building a foundation of language and an understanding that language has meaning and that language can get you what you want or need in life.”
For many students, this means working toward their first words, signs, or meaningful ways to communicate. “Most of the kids in our classroom right now are non-verbal,” Modreske said. “Our goal is to get them talking or signing by the end of the year so that they can be successful in expressing their needs and wants in a classroom setting.”
