B LO O M I N G DA L E FA M I LY P R O G R A M
Our Tapestry of Care
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Our Tapestry of Care Bloomingdale Family Program offers our children and families a tapestry of care
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Children are assessed by our team of one-to-one play therapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists when they enter our program at 2, 3, or 4 years old. Over half of our children receive these services at Bloomingdale. Bloomingdale Therapeutic Support Services are a stunning success: Most of the children enter general education classrooms when they transition into Kindergarten. Our therapy staff assists families whose children need ongoing support after they graduate from Bloomingdale— continuing to help our families advocate for their children beginning in their Kindergarten year. Children who have graduated return to Bloomingdale to attend our afterschool Homework Help Program through grade three. The first group to attend Homework Help is now doing well in college.
Our on-site therapy services were generously supported by a major foundation for the last 20 years. That funding is coming to an end. Bloomingdale is seeking support for this vital program from individuals and foundations that share our vision: Children who receive services early thrive in school and in life. 2
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Our History
Bloomingdale Family Program began in 1960 by parents in the Bloomingdale area of upper Manhattan looking for a safe, integrated space for their children to play and learn.
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It became a preschool with support from the Ford Foundation in 1965, and a Head Start program in 1969.
Shirley Chesney, a founding parent drumming up neighborhood support in the early 1960s
Shirley Chesney with fellow parent Iyfin A Bush (Amy) Olatunji at recent annual Alumni Reunion
Therapeutic Support Bloomingdale Therapeutic Support Services, our pioneering on-site therapy program, grew out of meeting the needs of our at-risk children. Bloomingdale Family Program serves 2, 3, and 4 year old children, over half of whom have special needs. Our bilingual play therapists, bilingual speech therapists and occupational therapists work as a team with our classroom teachers to address the needs of each child. Early identification and therapy have impressive results when children enter Kindergarten: Most of our children thrive in general education classrooms. Some children may need ongoing support, and our therapy staff assists families in navigating the system when they graduate from Bloomingdale. Many children return for our Homework Help afterschool program through Grade 3, and the first group of children who received Homework Help is now doing well in college.
Lesley Koplow working with a child in 1983
“I was one of the first therapeutic support staff at Bloomingdale Family Program helping children and their families to better their mental health. Sometimes the children and parents receiving services at Bloomingdale are isolated by developmental differences - like autism or language disorders. When children enter Bloomingdale’s therapeutic support program, they enter a support system that accepts them where they are, and helps them to move forward. I sometimes run into grown children and parents that I knew through the program. They still remember the place and people that helped them build their bridges to feeling whole and safe in the world. I am now Bloomingdale’s Mental Health Consultant - observing and conferencing with therapists and teachers about the children and families receiving therapeutic support. Without the therapeutic support program, the needs of hundreds of at-risk young children may be neglected during this critical period of development.”
Lesley Koplow working with Bloomingdale teachers 2019
— L E S L E Y K O P L O W , LCSW, Mental Health Consultant, BFP
Director of the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College 5
The HighScope Curriculum The HighScope curriculum in use at Bloomingdale works seamlessly with our therapy services to support each child. Learning is child-centered and adult-supported. Teachers observe and support the learning of each child. They bring any developmental concerns to the therapists, who also conduct observations of the children. The conflict resolution process from HighScope puts the children at the center of the problem solving. Even toddlers quickly learn to say, “We have a problem,” looking for a teacher to assist them in framing the conflict and finding a solution.
“Serving as both Coach and Trainer to the uniquely dedicated teaching staff of Bloomingdale Family Program for the past 22 years, I have witnessed the consistent care, commitment to excellence and impact of this team close-up. Their individualized approach to maintaining a healthy social-emotional environment for their students is rivaled only by their very own determination to meet the needs of each Bloomingdale child - no matter their language, emotional or behavioral challenges. The Bloomingdale teaching staff’s adept use of the HighScope Curriculum has engaged its children, while also providing a means by which to carefully document each child’s developmental progress across all learning domains.” Given that one of the core pieces of the HighScope approach is conflict resolution, it is no surprise to me that within each Bloomingdale classroom there is an effective display of respect and an active acknowledgement of each child’s feelings and opinions, as teachers help their students navigate the normal conflicts that arise in an early childhood educational environment.” — B E T S Y E VA N S HighScope Coach and Early Childhood Specialist
Betsy Evans observing speech therapist in classroom and working with teachers
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Our Community Bloomingdale today enjoys strong community and professional support. Students from Columbia School of Nursing learn from the children in our classrooms and hold health seminars for our parents. Speech and language graduate students from Teachers College, St. John’s University, and other programs work with our speech pathologist. We collaborate on a music program for our toddlers and 3s with Bloomingdale School of Music— a venerable neighbor. Early Childhood students from Teachers College, Bank Street School of Education, BMCC and other institutions enrich our classrooms, and learn from observing our teachers at work.
We host visitors from all over the world who come to see our program in action.
Social work graduate students from Silberman School of Social Work come every year to work with our children, our families, and our parent education programs. In addition, our partnership with the American Museum of Natural History greatly enriches our science offerings and their outreach includes our parents as well as the children.
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Therapy Story: Elias at 2 Separation at the start of the school year is a challenging process but it was particularly bewildering for 2-year-old Elias. He is hearing, but came from a deaf household, and had not learned the Dominican sign language his parents use. His exposure to spoken English was limited and there was no way to explain to him what was going on.
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His speech therapist came regularly to the classroom, teaching him signs paired with words, and his teachers and classmates learned the signs as well. The daily routines worked their magic as well. Elias began to understand what was happening around him, and his language soared. H I S S P E E C H T H E R A P I S T D E S C R I B E S I T T H I S W AY :
“…for Elias it was getting him to understand that there was a structure in place for him to follow, that his world included labels, and once he found his voice and realized his words had meaning and power, it was a real transformation…Previously, he was just used to grabbing and just going about his way. But once he realized that he could use language to request items from his peers and that his peers were understanding him and giving him what he wanted it really reduced the frustration level overall for him. He found his little voice and realized wow, my words have power!” A K E Y FAC TO R I N E L I A S ’ P R O G R E S S H A S B E E N T H E SUPP ORT OF HIS CLASSROOM TEACHERS:
“The teachers are just incredible. I love the support that they provide to Elias and the support that they provide me. They’re very receptive to being taught sign language. And whenever I’m working on a particular word with him I teach them the sign and they reinforce it throughout the day with him. So I love that because it’s a great team effort…the fact that they’re able to support and carry over the skills that have been implemented in our individual sessions is amazing because that’s really why he’s made so much progress.” — J E S S I C A S A L A S , bilingual speech language pathologist
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Therapy Story: Olivia at 3 3-year-old Olivia struggled to engage with her classmates and express herself when she started school. She watched others but couldn’t find the key to joining in. Her one-to-one play therapy and speech therapy gave her the tools to engage and flourish.
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“Olivia has made strides in her speech-language development. She was initially shy and used limited verbal skills. During the course of treatment, Olivia has become more outgoing and verbal. Olivia has demonstrated improved ability to socialize in her classroom and has always had the support from her teachers, parents and support services to help her thrive in her development. I look forward to seeing Olivia’s continued growth during the next school year. ” — O L I V I A’ S S P E E C H A N D L A N G U A G E T H E R A P I S T
“At the beginning of the year, Olivia was extremely shy, and played alone. She watched other children, but did not join in. She had a beautiful smile, but we rarely saw it. She did not participate in group activities like circle time, yoga, and music. She seemed lost during transitions,and needed support for routine things like picking out a toy. When she started speech, one-to-one play therapy, and occupational therapy, she was also interacting with other children in the play room. She began to look forward to seeing the child she played with in the therapy room in the classroom, and played with her there as well. Eventually, she began to play with other children in her class. She began to participate in all activities and became more trusting of her environment. She let teachers know if someone took her toy. She tried new things, and became very engaged in play in the classroom.
“As a parent of my daughter Olivia, I feel so grateful that she has made great developmental strides. This is due to the wonderful educational / caring approach toward her speech therapy, occupational therapy and her one-on-one interaction. Words cannot describe how well these programs are run.” — O L I V I A’ S F A T H E R
Olivia’s growth is largely due to her development of trust, gradually throughout the year. However, the combination of play therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy jump-started her new confidence – giving her experiences playing successfully with other children, playing new games, using language in new ways, all of which contributed to her development of social skills she then tried out in the classroom.” — O L I V I A’ S O N E - T O - O N E P L AY T H E R A P I S T 11
Therapy Story: Miguel, 3-4 years old The start of school at age 3 was difficult for Miguel. He often sat by himself, and wasn’t able to play. His teachers worked to pull him into the classroom routines and he started one-to-one play therapy and speech therapy early in his first year.
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“At Bloomingdale, children receive a lot of benefits that children need. The children also learn to be loving and caring children and that is something that I really like.” “When Miguel joined my classroom he was a very sad boy who didn’t make eye contact, and didn’t interact with his teachers and his peers. He always chose to play by himself in a little corner of the classroom. Also, he didn’t show any facial expressions. We recommended him for play therapy. After he started receiving play therapy, we noticed a significant change in Miguel. He started little by little to engage with his peers and teachers. At the end of the second year of being at school, Miguel was another child. You can see Miguel playing with classmates and talking to his teachers, making eye contact and smiling. It was very rewarding when we saw how much he improved socially and emotionally. Everyone was very happy, especially his parents, to see how Miguel changed since he started school. He was ready for kindergarten! ”
— M I G U E L’ S M O T H E R
— M I G U E L’ S C L A S S R O O M T E A C H E R I N T H E 3 s A N D 4 s
“Miguel was completely non-verbal in the classroom when he came to us at 3. He had a speech delay and had difficulty engaging in play with his peers, which contributed to his low selfesteem. He received bilingual speech and play therapy and in his 4s classroom he also worked with a Special Education teacher assigned by the school district’s Committee on Preschool Education. By the spring of his second year at Bloomingdale, Miguel was speaking to his peers and his teachers, and was engaging in cooperative play with other children. We were all very excited about his progress. His parents have kept in contact with us and feel supported by Bloomingdale for helping their child reach his potential. His parents will continue to consult with us for assistance if they need help in the future.” — M I G U E L’ S P L AY T H E R A P I S T
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How We Measure Our Success: A Research Study Report For nearly a decade Early Education professional, Dr. Judith Levin Ed.D of the University of Central Florida, has studied the preventive services at Bloomingdale. Here were her findings: P R E V E N T I V E S E R V I C E S A T B L O O M I N G D A L E F A M I LY P R O G R A M B y D R . J U D Y L E V I N
In 2011 I began a longitudinal study to assess the long-term impact of the children’s experience at the Bloomingdale Family Program. Fifty percent of the children in this research study had been identified as “at risk” for school failure, and received one or more preventive services (speech/language services, play therapy, occupational therapy) during their two years as preschoolers at Bloomingdale. I continue to meet with these children and their parents twice a year. To date, I have found their progress has been steady and successful, reflecting the developmentally appropriate teaching practices at Bloomingdale in coordination with the services provided by the on-site therapists. The children in my study, now entering 6th grade, have been promoted each year since entering Kindergarten. All are meeting grade level expectations successfully. I have also found that the children’s parents have benefited from the program’s collaborative team approach. They have become more knowledgeable about how to support their child outside of school and how to advocate for their child’s needs. In all, my study is demonstrating that the wraparound services offered at the Bloomingdale Family Program are a model for how to implement early intervention for later success. 3s write goodbye card to Dr. Levin in 2011, Dianellis on left, and Eduardo on right Eduardo, his mother, and Dr. Levin at the 2019 Bloomingdale Alumni Reunion Dr. Levin interviewing Dianellis, now in 6th grade
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How We Measure Our Success: The Data Bloomingdale Therapeutic Services 2009‐2018 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
09‐10
10‐11
11‐12
12‐13
One‐to‐one play therapy
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
13‐14
14‐15
Speech and Language Therapy
2013-14
2014-15
15‐16
16‐17
17‐18
Occupational Therapy
2015-16
2016-17
The success of our therapeutic support services program— for nine of the more than 20 years that we have been able to provide these critical interventions —can be seen in the adjacent data. The number of children who benefited from our therapeutic services includes two, three, and four year old children. Bloomingdale therapeutic services include one–to–one play therapy, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy. Many of our children received more than one service. The average number of children receiving services was seventy-one (71). The success of our program is demonstrated by the fact that an average of 95% of our Turning 5’s (those four year olds who received our services) attended a general education program in Kindergarten. This successful transition could only have been realized because of Bloomingdale Therapeutic Support Services which significantly reduced the need for additional services in Kindergarten.
2017-18
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Our Tapestry of Care Our on-site therapy program is unique. It should be replicated as a model in other preschools. Children whose needs are addressed early thrive in life and often do not require ongoing services in school. The roles played by Bloomingdale staff in supporting the children, from the initial observations of our family workers, to the insights gained in the classroom, to the active collaboration between our teachers and the on-site therapists are essential to our tapestry of care.
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bloomingdalefamilyprogram.org
Credits: P. 4 Nancy Horch, P. 5 Nancy Sirkis All other photos Š Laura Dwight Design: Rebecca Lown Design