Alternatives For Children History

The beginning of the 2011-2012 school year saw expansion of programming at Alternatives For Children Melville and Alternatives For Children Southampton. Through the dedication and hard work of Wendy Jorgensen (Southampton) and Arlene Murtha (Melville), and under the direction of Executive Director - Dr. Ficano, new classroom settings were approved by the New York State Education Department. Alternatives For Children Southampton, three full day programs were added (6:1:1; 12:1:1; and an integrated 15:1:2) to better serve the East End communities. Alternatives For Children Melville, new full day programming includes a 12:1:1 class and a 15:1:2 integrated class, as well as a 6:1:1 class to serve children from both Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Alternatives For Children Southampton joined forces with the staff at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead to implement the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care. NAP SACC is an intervention in child care centers aimed at improving the nutrition and physical activity environment policies and practices through self-assessment. The goals of the program are to improve the nutritional quality of the food served to the children and to closely monitor the amount and quality of physical activity the children are exposed to on a daily basis.

Alternatives For Children Southampton approved to provide Child Day Care services for families that meet Department of Social Services income eligibility criteria. Subsidized children are eligible for day care services based on family income and County reimbursement.

Alternatives For Children East Setauket serves as a field test site for Quality Stars NY, a new quality rating and improvement system being overseen by the Early Childhood Advisory Council and coordinated by the NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute. Completed and submitted the lengthy self-study documentation required to receive a STAR rating.

Alternatives For Children Southampton announces a new Transitional Bilingual Education Program. The Transitional Bilingual Education Program is designed to meet the growing needs of the East End communities and their Spanish speaking population. The bilingual program will be taught by a Special Education/Regular Education teacher and teacher assistant, both of whom are fluent in the Spanish language. Children needing speech therapy, approved by their school district, will have services provided by a bilingual speech pathologist.

Alternatives For Children celebrates 25th Anniversary. Our mission twenty-five years ago, charged us with providing the highest quality special and regular education programs and services to children with disabilities and their typically developing peers. Amidst the ever changing regulatory and fiscal landscape, the administration, educational and therapeutic staff, together with the Board of Trustees of Alternatives For Children are committed now more than ever that these programs and services be available to the future generations of children who need it most, at the most critical time in their development, assuring that they have the tools and experiences necessary to build the foundation that will support them for the rest of their lives.

Alternatives For Children implements new Parent Involvement/Communication Policy - Linking Families and Forming Relationships: Improving Student Achievement and School Performance through Parent/Family Partnerships. Recognizing that active participatory engagement between parents/families and Alternatives For Children supports student attainment of individualized goals and overall achievement, Alternatives For Children endeavors to create family-school partnerships to expand the learning community beyond the classroom and/or therapeutic environment and share the responsibility and privilege of educating their students along with their parents/family.

Alternatives For Children East Setauket receives a provisional 4 Star rating from Quality Stars NY.

Alternatives For Children East Setauket receives an Active 4 Star rating from Quality Stars NY.

Alternatives For Children East Setauket approved by the New York State Education Department to begin in September a new 6:1:1 and a new 12:1:1 full day self-contained classroom option. This has been in the planning process for quite some time and we are excited for the new students who could potentially benefit from this program.

Alternatives For Children Dix Hills: Not since the opening of our state-of-the-art East Setauket facility in January of 2004 have we experienced such an incredible transition. Through the tireless efforts and hard work of many people, and with the support of the Board of Trustees, Alternatives For Children in Melville will be relocating to the recently closed Chestnut Hill Elementary School in the Half Hollow Hills School District. Located at 600 South Service Road in Dix Hills, with easy on and off access to the Long Island Expressway, and located near the busy 110 corporate corridor and Huntington Quadrangle, this move is seen as a win-win situation for Alternatives For Children.

Alternatives For Children Dix Hills in collaboration with Long Island Head Start providing Early Head Start for infants and toddlers, along with Head Start for preschoolers at our Dix Hills location.

Alternatives For Children East Setauket awarded a 5 Star Active rating from QUALITYstarsNY demonstrating excellence and achievement.

Alternatives For Children Dix Hills approved by the New York State Education Department to begin the school year in September with new integrated classroom options. In the 12 months since relocating from Melville to Dix Hills the organization has experienced increasing demand for preschool special education and related services programming.

Alternatives For Children Dix Hills approved to provide Child Day Care services for families that meet Department of Social Services income eligibility criteria. Subsidized children are eligible for day care services based on family income and County reimbursement.

Alternatives For Children Southampton begins the QUALITYstarsNY self-study process required to receive a star rating.

Alternatives For Children East Setauket receives notice from QUALITYstarsNY congratulating our program on receiving a 5 Star Active Rating. This rating recognizes our work thus far and honors our ongoing commitment to providing young children with rewarding early learning experiences and opportunities. “Your hard work ensures that children get the best possible start in life.”

Alternatives For Children Aquebogue and Southampton qualifying application accepted and received notice from QualityStarsNY congratulating our program on receiving a 4 Star Provisional Rating.

Alternatives For Children Dix Hills began a collaboration with Western Suffolk BOCES’ Center for Alternative Education at the Wilson Technological Center in Dix Hills. Alternatives For Children, under contract with BOCES, begins providing child care services for the children of teen parents who are continuing their education. The Wilson Tech Center provides for students ages 16 to 21, who have an insufficient number of credits to graduate high school. These young students enroll in a five-step program, which helps prepare them to take examinations for graduation. Small classes and individual instruction helps these students progress at their own pace.

Alternatives For Children Aquebogue and Southampton expanding to meet the needs of the surrounding school districts that refer families to us, as well as to meet the needs of the children they entrust to us.

Alternatives For Children Aquebogue location approved by NYS Education Department to add two new classes; a full day 12:1:1 special class, and a full day integrated 12:1:2 class. Adding these options will allow Alternatives for Children to provide a full continuum of options for children and their families on the North Fork. We will now have both 6:1:1 and 12:1:1 full day special classes as well as 12:1:2 full day integrated and 15:1:2 half day integrated classes in Aquebogue.  All of this growth would require some renovations to accommodate the expansion.

Two new approvals from NYS Education Department for expansion at Alternatives For Children Southampton.

Since our move to Dix Hills in September of 2014, our Dix Hills location has seen tremendous growth. We opened the doors in 2014 with 5 classrooms and 40 plus students. We are currently operating ten classrooms covering a range of student/teacher ratios and settings, providing special education programming and related services to 100 plus children from the surrounding Suffolk and Nassau County school districts. Our Day Care Center has grown also, welcoming families with children from six weeks to five years of age in our Child Day Care rooms. Already this Summer it has become apparent that local school districts demand for placement of students has out-paced our available classrooms.

Alternatives For Children implements organization wide use of the Pyramid Model (PBIS), an evidence-based framework proven to be an effective approach to building social and emotional competence in early care and education programs. Using the intentional teaching of social/emotional skills with a newly designed user-friendly theme of - We Are Safe – We Are Kind – We Are Ready!

Alternatives For Children celebrates the fact that we have become a leader in providing quality care to all children, but especially to those who need it most, at the most critical time in their development.

Alternatives For Children Executive Director Dr. Marie E. Ficano honored at the Town of Brookhaven Division of Women’s Services 33rd Annual Women’s Recognition Awards for her outstanding efforts in the field of education. Dr. Ficano exemplifies the characteristics that our society says it most values – dedication, hard work, and loyalty. She has guided the growth and sustenance of Alternatives for Children since the beginning. Those who know her are daily impressed with how Dr. Ficano leads this large organization with steadfast focus and a constant eye toward the future.

Alternatives For Children introduces the SCERTS Model - The SCERTS Model is a research-based educational approach and multidisciplinary framework that directly addresses the core challenges faced by children with ASD and related disabilities, and their families. 

Alternatives For Children East Setauket - Master Gardener Chooses Alternatives For Children for Action Project. In the Spring of 2019 a multi-sensory garden for teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists to use with our preschool special education students was created. The “gardens” at Alternatives For Children are an effective and engaging way to: Integrate STEM activities into the investigative studies of the Creative Curriculum to meet many of the NYS Learning Standards for Preschool and the Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core;  Introduce a wide range of sensory stimuli (touch, smell, taste, hearing, sight) to allow staff to work with our many students who have certain sensory aversions because of their disability; Edible crops will be grown to be used by speech language pathologists and classroom teachers to help the children with various aversions to certain foods/textures; Offer our students an increased understanding of nutrition along with environmental awareness.