"Eyes open when a child with Down syndrome enters kindergarten able to read"

-Dana Halle, The Learning Program creator

 

Dear Families,

 

DSAVP is working on implementing a program designed to teach children with Down syndrome reading and math skills.  This program was created and implemented by the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County in California.  Its founder and program creator, Dana Halle, has been mentoring us for several months and we have become an affiliate of DSFOC.  Dana will continue to mentor our organization as well as other DS organizations across the country so we all can implement fun and successful Learning Programs for our families.

 

We first met with Dana at the National Conference in Boston this past year and attended all of her educational workshops and became very excited about the program and its possibilities.  It is important to note that the program was created based on the research of Sue Buckley and Gillian Bird of The Down Syndrome Educational Trust in the United Kingdom.  Those of you in attendance at the conference got a quick overview of the program.  Hopefully you have checked out her website:  www.dsfoc.org to further explore The Learning Program. 

 

Here is a general outline of our program and family commitments:  The pilot will run 4/5 months, at this time participants will be in the 3-7 age group and the meetings will be once a month 1 to 1.5 hours long.  At the end of the pilot we as parents and participants will assess the program to see if your expectations were met, if we were successful with the program, what changes or improvements you would like to see and of course if you and your child would like to continue in a year long program that would start in the Fall of 2009.  During the pilot program there will be only 10 seats available.  We are, of course, asking parents to make the commitment to attend all monthly meetings (February - May/June), and agree to complete follow up activities through out the month.  The success of this program is dependant upon your level of commitment too.   We of course acknowledge that life is not perfect, and there will be days that your intentions may be wonderful...but time runs out.  We are not seeking perfection, just dedication.  There is a $15.00 fee/per child each month.  Fee includes materials provided to work with your child at home each month, instructional/social time for your child, and parent instruction as well.  If you miss a meeting you are still responsible for the missed meeting fees and DSAVP reserves the right to remove you from the roster the second time the parent misses a monthly meeting.  It should also be noted that the $15.00 does not cover the expenses of this program and that the Fundraising efforts of our past year make it possible for us to offer this pilot program to you at the $15.00 monthly fee.  If the fee is cost prohibitive, but you want to be involved in the program, please contact Wendy Saunders or Kim Strickland as soon as possible.

 

 At the monthly meetings, parents will drop their child off in their preschool classroom and the parent(s) will attend a workshop in another classroom.  The parent workshops will be different topics each month---and sometimes we will be doing hands on activities---that directly pertain to what you will be doing at home that month.  Because each month we will be working on another piece of the program (building on previous months), it is important to attend all the meetings.  While parents are attending the workshop, the children are in their preschool room.  Their time will consist of a short group social time (similar to circle time) with rotation through specific learning centers.  There will be no more than a 1:3 ratio (1 adult to 3 children). 

 

Dependant on the success of the pilot program and funding, it is our ultimate goal to add an occupational therapist, speech therapist, teacher and a student teacher(s) working towards a degree in special needs.  We will be looking for professionals with experience working with children with Down syndrome and who will provide high energy, fun and engaging experiences for our children.   Students will be introduced to the materials for the next month and will get an opportunity to practice the materials for that month.  You will receive a summary sheet of the activities at the end of each session.

 

Openings are limited so we ask that you contact us ASAP if you are interested in participating in the program.  We also ask that you give serious thought to the commitment involved.  If you have not done so already, check out the website www.dsfoc.org and go to The Learning Program or call us with any questions.     

 

We are all very excited about this opportunity and what it means to our organization, and all our children!

 

Sincerely

 

Wendy Saunders     890-3013                                     

Kim Strickland        817-0654

DSAVP-Learning Program Coordinators

 

 

 

Down Syndrome Association of Virginia Peninsula, P.O. Box 1237, Yorktown VA 23692,

(757) 234-0895, (757) 890-3013, Website: www.dsavp.org Email:dsavp21@yahoo.com