Is Preschool Working Out for Your Child?

At Lighthouse Early Learning Center in Crown Heights, children flourish in a nurturing environment that blends one-on-one support with group learning. With a team of licensed therapists and special educators crafting personalized plans, every child builds confidence, engages deeply, and reaches new milestones.

Yossi doesn’t come home from school singing any songs, do your kids? Chaya types on her group chat.

LOL! He’s a cutie! It’s the beginning of the year, give it time, come the swift replies.

But it’s not just the songs… and it’s no longer the beginning of the year. Yossi doesn’t repeat anything he learns, and he doesn’t know the answers to the Parsha sheet. Chaya eagerly downloads the photos that Morah posts, searching for his little face as evidence that he does something in school.

“What color did you paint today?” she prompts him when he comes off the bus with a blue-stained shirt. “What’s the name of this friend?” She points to a class picture. Yossi just shrugs. 

He seems fine going to school in the morning, but he comes home and collapses. He melts down and is aggressive with his toddler sister. He starts freezing up when he’s asked a question, even if it’s just a choice of a snack. He should be thriving now that he’s started preschool, but he’s gotten more anxious, irritated and angry than ever.

It’s almost PTA. Should I bother the teacher before then? Chaya frets. Yossi is her oldest. Maybe this is normal for a three year old boy who’s in a big school for the first time. Besides, Morah has never reached out with any concerns, and she’s been teaching for a long time. Surely she would let Chaya know if there was anything to be worried about.

Chaya’s instincts are right on target. Her son isn’t keeping pace with his peers, meeting milestones or following what’s going on in class. Yossi doesn’t need more time. He needs skillful intervention before he falls even further behind.

In hindsight, Chaya should have seen this coming. Yossi did fine in playgroup, but he didn’t seem to register the other kids; every time she came to pick him up, he was off in a corner, doing his own thing. Morah reported that he refused to play with the sensory trays and got upset if there was a change in routine. His speech was a bit delayed, and he called every meal “supper”, but that was all normal for his age… right?

That’s what she thought at the time. Now Chaya realizes she missed out on early warning signs that her son’s development was not up to par. If she had only known, she could have gotten an evaluation or services earlier and started Yossi off in a school that fit him.

Yossi is lucky that his mother is proactive and solution-oriented. She recognizes that it’s not just academics or development at stake; her son’s self-confidence and self-esteem are eroding every day that he doesn’t succeed in his environment. She considers switching classes, then schools. She finds out about Lighthouse and calls to schedule a tour.

“Chaya” is a composite of the many wonderful, caring parents our students are lucky to have. Our school is full of little boys and girls like “Yossi”: adorable little children who won’t succeed in mainstream settings. They need more support and intervention than a typical classroom can offer. In Lighthouse, with a familiar classroom setting but individualized support, they thrive.

At Lighthouse Early Learning Center, a specialty preschool in Crown Heights, we make sure your child flourishes.

Our students come to school happily each day, confident that they belong in the classroom. They’re familiar with their daily routines, participate in activities, and interact meaningfully with peers.

Lighthouse ELC provides one-on-one services in a classroom setting. So your child can have the best of both worlds: individual interventions while experiencing group learning.

Your child is supported by an entire team. Licensed therapists (including ABA, occupational (OT), physical (PT) and speech) and special education teachers work closely together to develop an individual plan for each student, tracking goals to improve your child’s abilities.

If you’ve been looking for a school to provide quality care with a personal touch… you’ve found it!  

Lighthouse ELC would love to have your child join our family.

Now accepting students for January 2025.

To schedule your visit today, give us a call at 718-218-5528 ext 129, or email us at [email protected].

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Parents like Chaya have asked us these questions: 

Is Lighthouse ELC a school for children with special needs? Does my child need a diagnosis to attend it?

Some of our students have a diagnosis such as ASD or ADHD, but that isn’t a requirement to attend. If your child can benefit from specialized services such as speech, OT, or PT, we can cater to their needs. We can also support you during the process of obtaining a neuropsychological evaluation, if desired.

I’m worried about switching my child mid-year. Won’t that be bad for her socially or academically?

If your child hasn’t been succeeding in their school so far, they can only benefit from moving to a more supportive setting. For a child with delays of any kind, time is of the essence. The younger the child, the more lasting and effective interventions are. That’s because the brain is most pliable in the earliest years and is mostly formed by age 5.

We’ve seen what a difference early intervention makes to our students. After targeted therapeutic intervention, they are able to be integrated into a mainstream setting with minimal or no support. Lighthouse provides comprehensive early intervention, with a whole team of professionals supporting the child. 

Our therapists have also worked with children who were older when they started receiving services, and seeing progress can be more time consuming or challenging. It’s our belief and has been our experience that providing services earlier sets the child up for success later.

I want my child to be together with typical children. I’m worried about the socializing he’ll have.

Appropriate “socializing” for a preschool child requires several different skills. These include: communication, including expressing their own desires and understanding nonverbal cues such as body language; listening and following directions; sharing and taking turns; recognizing and responding to others’ feelings, or empathy; problem solving and cooperation; regulating emotions such as disappointment; and understanding boundaries. 

A child who is behind in any of these areas compared to his peers will struggle to interact appropriately with them.

At the preschool stage, rather than focusing on the end behavior (socializing), we want to make sure that each individual skill is up to age level. That way, the child will eventually be able to participate in social settings.

At Lighthouse ELC, we work individually with each child while also creating opportunities for inclusive play and engaging with a group of peers.

Do you have graduates? I don’t know anybody who’s sent their child here. 

Lighthouse ELC was founded in 2022 and is proud to open its doors for the third consecutive school year. Give us a call to connect with one of our satisfied parents. They have been where you are right now, and they’re more than happy to share their experience and help you on your own journey.

Now accepting students for January 2025.

Contact us today at 718-218-5528 ext 129, or email us at [email protected].