Updated 12/16/2008 01:51 PM
Parents Rally Behind Brooklyn Heights Special Needs Program
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Parents of dozens of special needs children in Brooklyn will likely learn Wednesday morning whether a program that helps their kids move ahead will continue to exist, as the board of a private school that runs it is expected to determine its fate Tuesday night. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report. Three-year-old James Glauner is learning to overcome speech and social delays. His father, Jim Glauner, says his school has been a big help.
"He is thriving. He is doing great," said Glauner. "In fact, just this weekend he had a play date. He was introducing children to each other, and that's something we thought he would never do."
James is one of almost 30 children enrolled in "The Little Room" a program founded in 1970 for three and four-year-old children with special needs. Despite its success, the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, which runs the program, is considering shutting it down.
Parents like Kara Bohnenstiel, whose three-year-old son Myat Haggart is autistic, do not want to see it close.
"Nobody has questioned the integrity and magic of this program, it's amazing," she said. "Other kids, not just our son, have come along so far."
The school says the program runs at a deficit, in spite of receiving more than a million dollars yearly in state funding. Parents have suggested the school appeal to the state for a higher rate of reimbursement; they even say they would raise money themselves.
"We offered to help them in any way we can," said Glauner. "We've extended our hand to do whatever it takes. I think that's one of the main things is just work, to make this school work, and to keep this program alive."
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School says this is not a financial issue, but instead about how The Little Room program fits as the school looks to its future.
"Finances are always an issue in private education," said Bob Liff, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn Montessori School. "That is not the core issue that's driving this discussion."
Liff says it's not an easy decision for the school.
"The parents who are concerned have every right to be concerned," said Liff. "They are fighting for their kids, and the school has been dedicated to their kids."
However, Little Room parents fear that dedication may be fading away.