NCRC or St Columba's for spec needs

[Anonymous]

I am hoping we can get some feedback from parents who have done either NCRC or St Columbas for their children with special needs. We had our playdates at both for our son w/ spec needs this past week and liked both, but they were *really* different. I had a personal preference for which school seemed to fit *me* better, but of course my own preference is meaningless - all that matters is if one is "better" than the other at including children with special needs and helping them blossom.

Of course we don't know if we'll get into both (or either, for that matter), but assuming we did, would people recommend one over the other? If so, why? Both seemed to have really big classes (I was shocked - where we're moving from out of state the class sizes in both public and private are much smaller), but both seemed commited to including the spec needs children and to helping them benefit from the curriculum. And both seem to have excellent resources, playgrounds, play-based curricula, etc.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

my daughter is in the 3s class at st columba's. she was waitlisted at ncrc, so we didn't have a choice; that said, we preferred st columba's from the beginning. my daughter is very active and there is an emphasis on the outdoors at st columba's. although i am not a part of the ncrc community, the impression i got was the the st columba's community was much more lowkey than that at ncrc, where even the typical kids have to compete for spots. st columba's is very open to having therapists come in and to working with your private therapists. the assistant director of the school is also the special needs coordinator, and she is wonderful -- very open and supportive. the kids and the parents are very nice and non-judgmental. my daughter loves the school and feels so at home there. she begs to go to school over the weekend. the teachers make an effort to keep her incorporated in the activities and to encourage as much interaction with peers as possible.

of course, i suppose the fit depends on your child's special needs -- the kids do spend a lot of time out of doors on the playground, so if your child has problems in that regard, that's something to keep in mind.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP. Any chance the mom of the girl at St Columba's would contact me offlist? I have some questions for you and would so appreciate your input.
[e-mail]

Thanks very much.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids at NCRC - one typically developing and one with special needs. Incidentally, we were turned down by St Columba's. We have found the NCRC community nothing but down to earth and welcoming. All children are part of the classroom and a lot of work is done to ensure this. The teachers are amazing. Outside therapists come in whenever that is in the child's best interest. In addition, there are therapists on staff (a speech therapist, an OT etc) whose job is to roam the classrooms and pick up issues that kids may be having. NCRC has been like a little heaven on earth for our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at NCRC - one typically developing and one with special needs. Incidentally, we were turned down by St Columba's. We have found the NCRC community nothing but down to earth and welcoming. All children are part of the classroom and a lot of work is done to ensure this. The teachers are amazing. Outside therapists come in whenever that is in the child's best interest. In addition, there are therapists on staff (a speech therapist, an OT etc) whose job is to roam the classrooms and pick up issues that kids may be having. NCRC has been like a little heaven on earth for our family.

For what it's worth, I have heard that the two schools communicate with each other about students (I assume specifically special needs students, because they are the only two inclusive preschool programs around here), so that may be why a family would get into one and not the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at NCRC - one typically developing and one with special needs. Incidentally, we were turned down by St Columba's. We have found the NCRC community nothing but down to earth and welcoming. All children are part of the classroom and a lot of work is done to ensure this. The teachers are amazing. Outside therapists come in whenever that is in the child's best interest. In addition, there are therapists on staff (a speech therapist, an OT etc) whose job is to roam the classrooms and pick up issues that kids may be having. NCRC has been like a little heaven on earth for our family.

For what it's worth, I have heard that the two schools communicate with each other about students (I assume specifically special needs students, because they are the only two inclusive preschool programs around here), so that may be why a family would get into one and not the other.

That is not correct. Bridges Public Charter School (http://bridgespcs.org/) is another inclusive pre-school program for children with and without special needs. It offers very small class sizes, low student:teacher ratios, and a specialized focus on early education. If you are looking for a specifically private school then NCRC and St. Columba's may meet your needs, but if you are interested in a charter school which also provides ST/OT/PT special ed & counseling all on site you may want to look at Bridges, too. Your tax dollars (plus grants and donations) are funding this small, wonderful school so you might want to tour it and see if it is a good fit for your family.

[Anonymous]

bridges is supposed to be great, but it's only available to dc residents, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:bridges is supposed to be great, but it's only available to dc residents, right?

It's only free to DC residents. Maryland or Virginia residents would have to pay tuition (approx $10K per year).