Easter Seals Disability Services

Easter Seals New York Offers Inclusive childcare services at the following Child Development Centers:

• Project Discovery is New York's first fully integrated Child Development Center.  Project Discovery is located in the City of Port Jervis, a economically disadvantaged, urban area.  Project Discovery currently operates an integrated Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program and a Special Education Preschool Program.
  
  
• Project Excel opened in September 2002, and is located in Monticello, New York.  Project Excel is modeled after our highly successful Project Discovery, and is an integrated program providing educational services for the Universal Pre-Kindergarten students of the Monticello Central School District and classified pre-school children in the area. 
  
  
• Valhalla Child Development Center located in the old, historic Columbus Avenue School in Valhalla, New York opened in October 2002.  This innovative center offers three programs: 1)Integrated Pre-Kindergarten program; 2) After School program for students ages 5 to 12 in the Valhalla School District; and 3) a Day Care program for infants and toddlers ages 18 months to five years. 

How parents define child "care" varies according to individual family need. But the need for affordable, quality child care is great, and growing. According to the Children's Defense Fund:

• More that 19 million children under the age of 6 years are in some form of child care. 
• More than 65 percent of mothers with children in this age range are in the US labor force. 
• More than 78 percent of mothers with children between the ages of 6-13 are in the US labor force. 
• More than 55 percent of all US mothers bring home half or more of their household income.

American Academy of Pediatrics studies on early child development have proven that a child's brain structure is influenced significantly by environment and experiences during the first few years of life. More than 50 Easter Seals Child Development Centers in communities across the nation help children of all abilities work toward developmental goals at the time in their lives when they are most ready to learn.

All Easter Seals Child Development Centers strive to meet the accreditation guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), within the first two years of operation. NAEYC accreditation is granted on a program-by-program basis.  A program is not accredited by NAEYC until it has successfully completed the entire accreditation process, including an on-site visit and subsequent review by NAEYC.  To determine if a particular Easter Seals program is accredited, you may review NAEYC's list of accredited programs by visiting their Web site. 

Each facility offers ongoing training for care givers; low adult to child ratios; developmentally appropriate learning activities; and top-quality facilities that meet or exceed industry standards. As a non-profit organization, Easter Seals provides its high-quality services at costs that are affordable to families in need.

For more information or an application, please contact Easter Seals New York.