Message from Executive Director

Alternatives For Children

The birth of a child is meant to be a time filled with anticipation, joy and excitement. While we all hope this journey takes us down a straight and narrow path, unfortunately, sometimes there are bumps in the road, or the road takes an unexpected turn. Having a place families can turn to when everything else seems to be falling apart helps make the journey less difficult. For the past twenty-seven years, Alternatives for Children has been a stop on the journey for over 15,000 children from across both Suffolk and Nassau Counties.

Since 1988, our team of experienced and dedicated early childhood professionals have created invaluable educational and therapeutic programs, individually designed to help each child reach their potential.

Through our Early Intervention Program, we have had the unique opportunity of providing infants and toddlers with special needs their first educational experience, all the while promoting competencies in families and providing them with needed expertise and emotional support.

Our Child Day Care program, Nursery School, Special Education Preschool and Related Services offerings, all provide a natural learning environment where children are encouraged to become independent, self-confident, and curious learners.

Our Child Day Care centers and our Preschool programs provide a comprehensive early childhood education using the Creative Curriculum, which is closely aligned with the New York State Department of Education Learning Standards. The Creative Curriculum as followed and taught by our dually certified special education/early childhood education teachers is designed to foster children’s social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development, and to enhance learning in literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology

A dynamic early childhood environment is one in which children are encouraged to be creative, explore and experiment in order to meet or exceed the criteria established for their age. Children who graduate from our program are given the tools they need to be ready to learn and be successful as they transition to the kindergarten environment.

All those years ago as a new administrator, there was so much to do; so many children with disabilities with so much potential, and never enough time. There were buildings to build, staff to hire, contracts to sign, regulations to comply with, deadlines, fiscal and legal responsibilities.

I am still here and I consider myself so privileged to have been a part of the family at Alternatives For Children; a wonderful school, but more important than that, a place and a people that has been there for so many families.

I am proud to say, that because of the dedication through the years of the Board of Trustees, administrators, the educational and therapeutic staff, our wonderful parents and enthusiastic financial supporters, Alternatives for Children has 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 - Providing the highest quality special and regular education programs and services to children with disabilities and their typically developing peers.

With tremendous gratitude,


Marie E. Ficano, Ed.D.
Executive Director

 

 

 

 

Home > About Us > Message from Executive Director Marie E. Ficano, Ed.D.

Alternatives for Children, since 1988 providing the highest quality special and regular education programs and services to children with disabilities and their typically developing peers.