The Children's Center

Services for Children of All Abilities

At The Children's Center at UCP, the Early Intervention, Preschool and School Age Programs are tailored to meet the physical, cognitive and emotional needs of children with disabilities from birth to 21 years of age.

Year-round programs, screenings, evaluations, therapies, home and/or center-based instruction, family and support groups, and assistive technology are offered at The Children's Center or provided at the homes of the children served. In conjunction with local school districts and the County Department of Health, staff at The Children's Center assess the individual needs of each child and recommends the most appropriate education services.

• We believe the environment should be aesthetically pleasing and stimulating. It should be planned in a manner to provide choices, quiet and active spaces and should respond to the developmental and individual needs of children.
  
• We believe that parents need to be kept informed and have opportunities for involvement in classroom activities.
  
• We believe that there should be an atmosphere of mutual support between parents and staff in order to create an effective learning environment.
  
• We believe that children are active learners, and unique individuals. They learn according to a developmental sequence, progressing at their own pace.
  
• We see the teacher and clinician as facilitators of the learning process who are sensitive to developmental and individual needs. The teacher/clinician is respectful and flexible in dealing with children.
  
• We believe that the appropriate curriculum will address the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs of each child.
  
• As a professional team, our purpose is to provide quality programs, community support and an opportunity for parents to share experience and mutual support .

Early Intervention Program

Home Based Programming provides visits by special education teachers and certified/licensed therapists to a child and family at home, or in another natural setting, addressing education and therapeutic needs. The Early Intervention Program provides a wide array of services to eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities or special needs and their families. Services provided are designed to focus on a child's needs and overall development.

The Preschool Program

This program services children from three to five years old who have an obvious or suspected disability in speech, intellectual, motor, social or emotional development. They receive excellent growth experiences, which assist them in developing cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, social, self-help and sensory skills.

Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) and therapeutic services (Related Services) are provided in classrooms, day care centers or in home settings.

School Age Program

Children from age five to 21 with multiple disabilities attend the School Age Program. This curriculum provides individualized education, activities, therapies and medical services to maximize the child's progress.

Therapy Services

Therapists develop and carry out a plan of treatment to improve mobility, gross and fine motor skills, oral-motor/feeding skills, sensory processing and integration, and self-help skills. Therapists also recommend and provide a variety of adaptive equipment. A diagnostic evaluation team in the center or at home provides specialized evaluations.

Through family-centered planning, which involves the child's parents or guardians and professionals at The Children's Center, a personalized plan is designed to ensure that the most appropriate supports and services are given to the child and his/her family. These services include physical and occupational therapies, speech/language and augmentative communication, vision, nursing, mental health, audiology and adaptive physical education. Special classes are offered in massage therapy, yoga and pet therapy.

Active participation by the parent/caregiver is emphasized in all aspects of The Children's Center and the services offered are respectful of parental/caregiver's choice and sensitive to the family's background and culture.

The Children's Center at UCP Suffolk is designated a Model Site for Mobility Opportunities via Education (MOVE), an internationally recognized program designed to develop the skills needed for sitting, standing and walking.

The Children's Center now has its own website exclusively for parents which gives them access to important postings and school and agency announcements so they can stay current with their children's lives and play an active role in enhancing their success. Please visit our site at www.thechildrenscenter-ucp.org.

Please visit My Child Without Limits website by clicking on the logo.

The Children's Center
Smiths Lane Campus
Azealia Court
Commack, New York
(631) 543-2338

Programs and services are available at no cost to families and funded through the County of Suffolk and the State of New York, Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities New York State Education Department. Transportation is available for all programs.