Little Room to relocate despite Montessori expansion
Back in December 2008, we covered the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School’s decision to remove the Little Room, a program for special needs 3 and 4-year-olds, from its Bergen Street campus. The decision was made to keep the Little room open until August 2010, until it would be moved to join a different organization, which, according to the Brooklyn Paper, will possibly be the League Treatment Center, a center in DUMBO for children and adults with autism and other disabilities.
Brooklyn Paper: The planned expansion into the historic brick firehouse, as well as the takeover of the Little Room’s space, was a grim reminder for parents that the program will only remain in the Montessori School for this coming school year.
Some worry that future students will lose the developmental benefits that come from being around mainstream classes if they’re housed only in a special-education environment.
“It’s very disheartening,” said Joyce Creidy, the mother of twins graduating this summer from the Little Room. “The Little Room is in a nice space in a real school. The League [Treatment Center] is more of an institutionalized setting.”
Posted
: July 23rd, 2009 at 8:57 am by Diana Rosenthal under Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens.
Tags:Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, brooklyn heights montessori school expansion, little room, The Little Room
Comments: 2
Comments
Comment from Rev. C. Bernard Flemming
Time: July 28, 2009, 4:04 pm
I heard about this unfortunate event, and would love to help if possible. We formally hosted the Brooklyn Free school in our church, and are presently planning to start a day care center, but if we can help these children with a space we are would love to talk to them. My wife and I have a personal interest in special needs children (She is a medical Doctor serving this population in the NYC area, and I am a product of special education who is currently matriculating a doctoral degree) and would love to see them establised.
Comment from Little Room parent
Time: July 23, 2009, 4:11 pm
When the Montessori school told the Little Room parents and staff they would no longer host the program (after 28 years), they cited space and monetary concerns. A couple of months later they purchased this building in CASH. So they obviously have money, and now they have more space, but they are still forcing the Little Room to leave. They say they have brokered a deal with League, but League will not confirm this, and League itself has to move and will not have a confirmed space as of September 2010, the date Montessori is ‘kicking out’ The Little Room. They say that special education is not compatible with the Montessori method, however Maria Montessori developed her teachings working with special needs kids.