Early Intervention/Schools
The 504 School: www.504school.org, is a private, non profit, GAC accredited, alternative school with a mission to educate students ages 5-10 years old who have severe ADHD and co-occurring conditions. The school program offers the support and structure necessary to accommodate the complex needs of our students in an educational setting. Located in Midtown Atlanta at 458 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta 30308. 404-551-2574.
Adaptive Learning Center: 2509 Post Oak Tritt Road, Marietta, GA 30062. The center serves Cobb; DeKalb; Forsyth; Fulton; Gwinnett. ALC partners with accredited Early Childhood Education programs in Atlanta, Marietta, and Dunwoody to implement inclusive preschool programming. Staff and therapists help support children with special needs and train early childhood educators on inclusive education. 770-509-3909. www.adaptivelearningcenter.org
Atlanta Speech School- 404-233-5332 www.atlantaspeechschool.org Provides speech-language and hearing services to children enrolled in our school programs.
Babies Can't Wait (BCW): www.health.state.ga.us. Central directory (770) 451-5484, Toll Free (800) 229-2038. Fulton Co. BCT # (404) 730-4027. Serves children from birth to age 3 who have developmental delay. Provides assessments and early intervention services. State funds are available, based on a sliding fee scale.
Bedford School: Accredited private school designed for children with specific learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD. Bedford offers small class size, a challenging academic curriculum, modern multi-faceted facilities, extra-curricular activities, and summer academic and recreational programs. 5665 Milam Rd., Fairburn. 770-774-8001. www.thebedfordschool.org.
Beyond Words: specializes in social skill training for ages 6 through adolescents. In addition, they also provide enrichment with games, art, creative expression, role-play and team work challenges. Conversation Skills, Dealing with Teasing and Nonverbal Communication Skills. Summer camp program. 404 633-0250 www.beyondwordscenter.com.
Bright from the Start. Georgia Department of Early Learning and Care. www.decal.state.ga.us Navigate under "Families" click on "special needs". Click on "site finder" and enter your county. The website will bring up a list of pre-k early intervention sites in your area. If you have a question about a child care provider, contact 404-463-0703 or 404-463-0704.
Center for the Visually Impaired services for children with vision impairments www.cviatlanta.org. 404-875-9011. Ask to speak with a representative from the "BEGIN" or "STARS" program to discuss your child. BEGIN is a program for babies up until five years of age. Helps with diagnosis and early intervention with severe visual impairments. STARS is a program for students ages 6-21 and offers educational, recreational, social skills.
Congregation Beth Shalom Alefbet Preschool: 5303 Winter's Chapel Rd Atlanta, GA 30360. Preschool serves children with special needs ages 18 mos. -5yrs old. email preschool@bshalom.net or call 770-399-7622. www.bshalom.net
The Cottage School: Serves students, grades 6-12, with ADHD and special learning needs in small structured classrooms and practical learning environments. The curriculum focuses on developing academic, time management and interpersonal skills, and career planning. 700 Grimes Bridge Rd., Roswell. 770-641-8688. www.cottageschool.org.
Cumberland Academy: is a private, non-profit independent school for children in grades 4-12 that specializes in the needs of children with Asperger's Syndrome, LD, ADD and ADHD. www.cumberlandacademy.org
Easter Seals Child Development Centers: can provide information and referrals for physical, occupational and speech therapy services as well as child care and Head Start programs for children with disabilities at website
northgeorgia.easterseals.com
Click on services, and then Early Education and Care and you can enroll a child in a preschool online or call 404-943-1070 to find the closest child development center.
Floortime Foundation: their mission is to redefine the potential of children with developmental and communication challenges through broad distribution of the DIR/Floortime model. The DIR (Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based)/Floortime approach provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and treating children challenged by autism spectrum and related disorders. E-mail: info@floortime.org or visit www.icdl.com
Frazer Center Provides a private educational setting for children and infants with special needs and developmental disabilities. Tuition Scholarships available to low income families. 404.377.3836 - phone ext 18. www.Thefrazercenter.org.
Gables Academy: Psycho-educational services and college preparatory for students, ages 9 through 18, with learning disabilities. Students may attend Gables as day students, or as boarding students. 811 Gordon St., Stone Mountain. (877) 465-7500. www.gablesacademy.com.
Georgia Pines A statewide early intervention program, begun in 1980, for families of children birth to five years of age with a diagnosed hearing impairment and/or a visual impairment. Families receive information and training to assist their children to develop to their potential across all areas of development. All services are provided in the home or other appropriate natural environment. They are located at: 890 North Indian Creek Drive Clarkston, GA 30021 Call (800) 522-8652 | (404) 298-4882 (Voice & TTY) Ask for Clair Sullivan FAX (404) 298-3610 E-mail csulliva@doe.k12.ga.us
Georgia Public Schools: Go to the Georgia Department of Education's home page: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/index.aspx and scroll down to school finder (there is a map of the state of Georgia) click on the option "school district contacts" and it will take you to a list of contact information for each school district: a direct link to the page with the contact information is: www.doe.k12.ga.us.
www.Getreadytoread.org . click on parents, offers resources, activites, and information on helping a child with a learning disability. Helps prepare preschool age children for school.
Head Start: Head Start provides grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. Fulton County: please contact Easter Seals North Georgia's Head Start Program: (404) 943-1070. northgeorgia.easterseals.com. In Dekalb County: please contact Partnership for Community Action's Head Start Program: (404) 929-2500; www.pcaction.org
Heart of Hope Academy: Offers a full day program and after care providing academics and functional learning to students with developmental disabilities. Atlanta. 404-816-3967. www.heartofhopeacademy.org.
Jacob's Ladder: Serves children of pre-school through high school age with any type of developmental delay. Offer a variety of services to meet the needs of each child and their family. Some of these services include: Neurodevelopmental Evaluations, Parent Training, Full-time School, IEP Planning, Biomedical/Nutrition Consultation, Behavior Consultation and Summer Services. 11705 Mountain Park Rd, Roswell. (770) 998-1017. www.jacobsladdercenter.com.
Keystone Center for Children with Autism: private, nonprofit school specially design to meet the unique needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder; offering a 1:1 student-teacher ratio and a variety of full and half-day programs. Year-round program of instruction, individualized student educational programs; parent training workshops; need-based scholarships; and open enrollment. 1675-A Hembree Rd., Alpharetta. 404-496-4673.
The Lionheart School 180 Academy Street Alpharetta, Georgia 30004. A non-profit
organization that creates a learning environment where a child's development is a collaboration between teachers, therapists, consultants, parents, and children. Founded on the Floortime model of Dr. Stanley Greenspan, they work with children who have had difficulty fitting in to other settings. The school also has group activities and a recreation program including: swimming, horseback riding and hiking. Serves ages 6 years through grade 12. 770-772-4555. www.thelionheartschool.com
Lekotek, Inc. Encouraging development for children birth to 8 with disabilities through exploration and discovery. Providing failure-free learning; Teaching new and creative ways for successful and interactive play for children with special needs; Loaning adapted and traditional toys for home use; Providing individualized support and resources to build on family strengths. No insurance or Medicaid. $240.00 for 12 sessions of play therapy 1x per month for 1 year. Full and Partial scholarships available. www.lekotekga.org. 404-633-3430
Mill Springs Academy: Small private school for children with LD, ADHD that bases learning strategies on Academic Plans developed for each student by the multidisciplinary staff. 13660 New Providence Road, Alpharetta. 770-360-1336.
North Fulton Child Development Center: The Child Development Association (CDA) provides affordable childcare and early learning programs for preschool children of low-income families in the metro Atlanta area. Sliding fee scale available. 770-992-4339. www.cdakids.org.
The Pathways Academy: A private school that uses a multi-sensory, phonics based program for children with dyslexia and learning disabilities in grades 1-5. They focus on the child's self-esteem and confidence and each classroom has no more than 10 students and is staffed by a teacher and assistant teacher. 2147 Post Oak Tritt Rd., Marietta. 770-973-5588. .
Prosperity School and Learning Center: Special needs educational enrichment and tutoring. Ages 3-20. Art, foreign language, computer skills and music. 120 Carnegie Place, Suite 204, Fayetteville. 770-716-2633.
Sheltering Arms: has 17 centers in Metro Atlanta area counties serving children ages 6 weeks - 5 years with early childhood education, child care, and provide after school and summer camp for children through age 8. Approximately 10% of the children served have a diagnosed disability. Priority is given to siblings of currently enrolled children, children who are homeless and children who have special needs. They offer Early Head Start, Head Start, and Georgia PreK, and accept DFACS vouchers. Scholarships are based on family size and income. 404-523-2767. www.shelteringarmsforkids.com.
Sophia Academy: Non-denominational Christian school for children with learning disabilities. The full-day program offers all core curriculum subjects as well as Art, Physical Education/Health and Music classes. Students participate in field trips and community outreach projects throughout the year. Grades K-8th. Dresden Drive Atlanta, GA 30341. 404-303-8722.
Special Needs School of Gwinnett: a private, non-profit organization that provides both educational and therapeutic services to families of children with disabilities. They serve special needs children from toddlers to 12th graders. www.specialneedsschools.org
Stepping Stones Educational Therapy Center: A Christian therapeutic and educational center for children dedicated to developing the full potential of special needs and typical children from birth to 14 years old. 141 Futral Road, Griffin.. Call: 770-229-5511.
Summit Learning Center: 700 Holcomb Bridge Road Suite 400 Roswell, GA 30076. The center provides intensive instruction in the areas of behavior, social skills, and communication for children with autism and other related disabilities. 770-552-1535 email: info@summitlearningcenter.org or visit www.summitlearningcenter.org
Walden Early Childhood Programs: 1551 Shoup Court Atlanta, Georgia 30322. They serve children 15 mos.-5 years with autism, other developmental delays, or those who are typically developing. They use incidental teaching where they use the child's natural curiosity to enhance the child's social, verbal, and academic skills. For more information call: (404) 727-8350 or email Sharon Hynes: shynes@emory.edu or visit www.psychiatry.emory.edu