By Roslyn Benjamin
Head of School
The Children’s School recognizes the different ways in which students learn and process information and we are committed to honoring all forms of diversity, including neurodiversity.
In September 2021, TCS expanded the Learning Strategies and Academic Support Services (LSASS) program and started a two-year pilot to provide more support for neurodiverse students and training for our teachers in specialized learning areas to benefit all of our students, thanks to generous gifts from the Grass Family Foundation and other TCS families.
The expanded program now includes three literacy specialists, a math specialist, an occupational therapist, a speech-language pathologist, and an executive functioning coach and provides interventions for remediation, extensions for those who need more challenge and professional development for TCS teachers.
At the start of the 2023-24 school, TCS will start offering this program permanently for a fee to students who need these services through individual and small group instruction.
The LSASS program works in conjunction with the school’s six-day, rotating schedule, which provides built-in support time blocks to reduce the need for students to be pulled out of class; our students do not miss specialist classes, advisory and community time and can stay with their classmates throughout the school day. Students who work with LSASS specialists spend most of the day learning with their classmates and receive extra support where they need it during an additional block of time.
We’ve created a program that keeps students integrated into the life of their classroom while supporting their academic and social-emotional development. Rather than isolating students who learn in different ways, the program is designed to be inclusive.
Inclusivity is one the most important of TCS’s core values, and TCS remains committed to providing an inclusive approach to learning that recognizes and honors all forms of diversity.
