CAMARILLO SCHOOL GIVES KIDS CHANCE TO DEVELOP : SPECIAL-EDUCATION PROGRAM GIVEN STATE HONORS.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

Four-year-old Chelsea Schultze is as social as can be, talking - according to her mother, Lori - about ``a mile a minute.''

Still, the youngster - who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus - was uncharacteristically shy at the school for disabled children in Ventura she attended last year, sitting off in her little wheelchair and quietly watching the other children at play, according to Lori Schultze.

But the girl's natural exuberance has gotten a boost since she began attending Mickey's Play House at El Rancho Structured School, where she is mixing with both disabled and nondisabled children.

``Chelsea has really had a great time this year,'' Schultze said. ``Our goal was to get her ready for a regular classroom with other kids and it has really helped her a lot in her socialization, in being with able-bodied kids.''

Opened in September, Mickey's Play House is run jointly by the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office, the Pleasant Valley School District and California Children's Services.

And already it is so successful that it was recently recognized by the California Department of Education's SEEDS (Supporting Early Education Delivery Systems) Project, which lends technical assistance to early childhood special-education programs.

It is one of two programs in Ventura County and 20 in the state recognized for the quality of their service and serves as a model program, said Joanne Knapp-Philo, program specialist for the Superintendent of Schools Office.

Youngsters are referred through the Superintendent of Schools Office and may be assigned to the site if they live in Camarillo or surrounding areas such as Santa Rosa, she said.

Unlike many programs for the disabled, about half of the 12 preschoolers enrolled at Mickey's Play House - the name refers to the Disney decor in the classroom - are not disabled, Knapp-Philo said.

``The children with disabilities learn best when they're working with children who are developing normally,'' she said.

Nondisabled youngsters also benefit from the contact with children who are different from them, she said.

``They learn a whole lot about diversity and mutual responsibility,'' Knapp-Philo said. ``Kids who are normally developing who experience this kind of program are more compassionate, more tolerant of differences. And their cognitive growth is as it would be if they were in a program where everyone is normally developing.

``So it's a win-win and it's a good education,'' she added.

Mickey's Play House offers several services not found at other programs, Knapp-Philo said. For example, a physical therapist from California Children's Services may come to the school a couple of times a week to work with a youngster who needs the help, she said.

``That's a big deal - to my knowledge that's not very often done,'' Knapp-Philo said. ``That's one of the reasons why it was (recognized) by the SEEDS program.''

Lori Schultze has nothing against her daughter's old program. Still, she recalls how the youngster would sit to the side or cling to her mother while the other disabled youngsters played.

But now Chelsea feels far more comfortable playing with the other youngsters, including those who are not disabled, she said.

Chelsea participated in group activities and learned to do things for herself - such as washing her face and cleaning up after lunch - that have boosted her self-confidence.

Now she even initiates games and activities with the other kids, to the delight of her mother.

``I'm thrilled,'' Schultze said. ``They're all things we're trying to teach Chelsea, but sometimes it's easier for someone else in a different setting (to do). With us, sometimes she says, `Oh, I don't feel like it.' ''

Chelsea herself confirms what her mother has observed. Ask the quick-witted child what she likes best about going to Mickey's Play House and she pipes up with a word that says it all, ``playing!''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Chelsea Schultze, 4, plays on the swin gs with the aid of a Mickey's Play House teacher.

(2--Conejo edition only) Disabled and nondisabled students play together in the sandbox at Mickey's Play House in Camarillo.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News