John Street Elementary School's new special education center teaches students how to cook, make beds, do laundry
Jonah George, 10, and Joseph Sukman, 8, at John Street Elementary School's daily life skills center, make a sweet potato pie with help from Joanne Iacono and Jennifer Rohrer. Credit: /Jennifer S. Altman
Visitors of the new daily living skills center at Franklin Square's John Street Elementary School might mistake the classroom for a studio apartment.
The center has an open floor plan and is outfitted with a kitchenette, bedroom, living room and playspace where the district's special education students will learn life skills, including how to make a bed, cook simple meals and sort laundry. The goal is to prepare the students, starting as young as 5, to be as independent as possible. District officials believe the Franklin Square center is the first such on Long Island for elementary school students.
The center, serving kindergartners through sixth-grade students, cost about $20,000 to complete, officials said. It comes after the district surveyed parents through a “thought exchange” to see how they would like discretionary money to be spent, said Jared Bloom, superintendent of the Franklin Square Union Free School District.
“One of the important ideas that rose to the top is this idea of the daily living space. And we’ve been talking about it for a number of years, but it was really able to come to fruition as a result of these conversations,” Bloom said. “We wanted to create a special place for our most disabled students.”
Daily living skills programs exist on Long Island for older students, including one at Stimson Middle School in Huntington, Herricks Middle School in Albertson and Bethpage High School, but to offer it to students as young as kindergarten is rare, parents, educators and experts told Newsday.
All of Franklin Square’s elementary special education students attend John Street, where starting Wednesday, they will begin visiting the center during school hours. It is vital for children with disabilities to learn daily skills to foster independence and bolster their abilities, said Dr. Victor Fornari, the head of child and adolescent psychiatry at Northwell Health.
“These kinds of programs usually haven’t been developed for younger kids. They were mainly just for older kids,” Fornari said. “I think it’s terrific that this is happening.”
Even something as simple as vacuuming or setting the table can boost their confidence, teachers at the center said. Spending time doing leisure activities, like watching TV, grows the children's attention spans, said Dr. Mike Marroquin, a behavioral analyst for the district. Four special education classes with eight students each will utilize the center with the help of their teachers and aides.
Gina Quinn, 37, of Garden City, said she was nearly brought to tears when she learned the district was constructing the center. It will be a game changer for her son, Brandon, 7, who has autism; Brandon struggles with speech, communication and social skills, his mother said.
“Autism and special [education] come in a variety of different ways, and everyone learns very differently. Children, specifically with autism, need life skills taught to them and life skills broken down in a way that they can understand ... to live day to day,” Quinn said.
Brandon and his peers will attend playdates in the room, where they will learn how to socialize and spend time with friends, said Pamela Taylor, the director of special education for the district.
Christine Castellano, 43, of Franklin Square, said her son, Andrew, 8, has autism and struggles with controlling his emotions and communicating his needs. He already has visited the classroom and practiced sorting socks, which spurred a conversation between him and Castellano about colors and age-appropriate chores. Seeing her son learn to sort socks made her “ecstatic,” Castellano said.
“These are skills that are so important to any age,” Castellano said. “Just like everyone else, they want to achieve success and know what that feels like.”
Visitors of the new daily living skills center at Franklin Square's John Street Elementary School might mistake the classroom for a studio apartment.
The center has an open floor plan and is outfitted with a kitchenette, bedroom, living room and playspace where the district's special education students will learn life skills, including how to make a bed, cook simple meals and sort laundry. The goal is to prepare the students, starting as young as 5, to be as independent as possible. District officials believe the Franklin Square center is the first such on Long Island for elementary school students.
The center, serving kindergartners through sixth-grade students, cost about $20,000 to complete, officials said. It comes after the district surveyed parents through a “thought exchange” to see how they would like discretionary money to be spent, said Jared Bloom, superintendent of the Franklin Square Union Free School District.
“One of the important ideas that rose to the top is this idea of the daily living space. And we’ve been talking about it for a number of years, but it was really able to come to fruition as a result of these conversations,” Bloom said. “We wanted to create a special place for our most disabled students.”
WHAT TO KNOW
- John Street Elementary School will soon open a daily living skills center for its disabled students.
- A center for elementary students is rare, school officials, experts and parents said.
- Special education students will learn skills such as making a bed, putting away clothes and even watching television with a snack.
First center for younger students
Daily living skills programs exist on Long Island for older students, including one at Stimson Middle School in Huntington, Herricks Middle School in Albertson and Bethpage High School, but to offer it to students as young as kindergarten is rare, parents, educators and experts told Newsday.
Jonah George, 10, with Jennifer Rohrer at the center. Credit: /Jennifer S. Altman
All of Franklin Square’s elementary special education students attend John Street, where starting Wednesday, they will begin visiting the center during school hours. It is vital for children with disabilities to learn daily skills to foster independence and bolster their abilities, said Dr. Victor Fornari, the head of child and adolescent psychiatry at Northwell Health.
“These kinds of programs usually haven’t been developed for younger kids. They were mainly just for older kids,” Fornari said. “I think it’s terrific that this is happening.”
Learning skills that boost confidence
Even something as simple as vacuuming or setting the table can boost their confidence, teachers at the center said. Spending time doing leisure activities, like watching TV, grows the children's attention spans, said Dr. Mike Marroquin, a behavioral analyst for the district. Four special education classes with eight students each will utilize the center with the help of their teachers and aides.
Gina Quinn, 37, of Garden City, said she was nearly brought to tears when she learned the district was constructing the center. It will be a game changer for her son, Brandon, 7, who has autism; Brandon struggles with speech, communication and social skills, his mother said.
“Autism and special [education] come in a variety of different ways, and everyone learns very differently. Children, specifically with autism, need life skills taught to them and life skills broken down in a way that they can understand ... to live day to day,” Quinn said.
Brandon and his peers will attend playdates in the room, where they will learn how to socialize and spend time with friends, said Pamela Taylor, the director of special education for the district.
Andrew Castellano sorts laundry with help from Alana Smith and Dr. Mike Marroquin, a behavioral analyst for the district, at John Street Elementary School's daily living skills center. Credit: /Jennifer S. Altman
Christine Castellano, 43, of Franklin Square, said her son, Andrew, 8, has autism and struggles with controlling his emotions and communicating his needs. He already has visited the classroom and practiced sorting socks, which spurred a conversation between him and Castellano about colors and age-appropriate chores. Seeing her son learn to sort socks made her “ecstatic,” Castellano said.
“These are skills that are so important to any age,” Castellano said. “Just like everyone else, they want to achieve success and know what that feels like.”
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
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