Learning Differently Foundation

LEAD A Club for Children with Language Learning Disabilities

Hannah Guerin
Senior Seminar & Thesis: Section on Social Innovation
Faculty: Lara Penin, Jon Jelen, and Eduardo Staszowski

LEAD: A Club for Children with Language Learning Disabilities

The Problem
Today there are approximately 5.4 million children in the United States
with learning disabilities, 3 million of which are receiving the special
education services they need as stated in their Individualized Education
Plan (IEP). In New York City there are currently 140,000 students with
learning disabilities that will be pulled out of special schools for learning
disabilities and into public schools within the next two years.


Project Opportunity
Project Description
Jumping the Hurdle is an after-school club for children with language learning
disabilities in New York City schools. Hannah Guerin Consulting will provide the
schools with the Jumping the Hurdle manual to implement and run the club.

How the Project Works

Children’s
home
NYC public schools
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i
M i
an
ua
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i

Manual

Hannah Guerin $ Jumping the Hurdle
Consulting NYC public school

Interview with Principal of Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School

Open-Ended Interview Questions
1. How much does it cost to run an after school program once a week for a year?
2. Do New York City teachers especially SPED attend any annual conferences? Or do they meet regularly?
3. What would be the best way to inform the school of an after school program?
4. Would you suggest having an orientation for the participating schools?
5. Do you think the SPED teachers would be able to handle the workload of running the club or is it too much? If so what
about teaching assistants?

Solution

The Learning Differently Foundation creates educational toolkits for New York City
schools that address specific issues for children with learning disabilities. The first toolkit
that Learning Differently provides is the LEAD: A Club for Children with
Language Learning Disabilities. The LEAD toolkit contains, a manual, poster, and
membership card that will help the special education teachers implement and sustain the
LEAD club. The LEAD manual provides a number of activities that the special education
teacher can use to build student communication skills. The overall goal of the LEAD club is
for the students to use the communication skills they built throughout the activities to
create an awareness campaign within their community.

Description Example

Expert Project
Expert Project Description: The idea with the Expert Project is to give The Expert Project entails having each of your students
every student the chance to become an expert on one research their favorite animal and creating a presentation
specific topic. The overall focus should be on how the student or another visual material to back up their research, i.e. a
communicates throughout the project, i.e. if they don’t drawing of the animal assigned to the child. At the end of
understand something they ask for help from someone. the 2 week research session each child while present to
the club. The students should be encouraged to research
Materials Needed: Internet, Art Supplies of students something that they don’t necessarily know.
choice, Microsoft powerpoint & word,

Topic ideas: Plants, animals, historical building or time
period, company, favorite person,

Lauren and the other members of show SPED teacher goes over the Expert activity
up to the Expert Project. with Lauren and the other members.

Lauren researches with Sam on the Lauren goes home and asks her parents for
computer about frogs for the Expert Project. help on her frog project.

Lauren presents her project on frogs on the SPED teacher congratulates Lauren on her
3rd week. project!


i Permenate infomation exchange

PTA’s
CBO’s LEAD & non-LEAD Families

parent-teach monthly/annual IEP meetings
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na
$

do
ily
m
Fa
Special Private Grants
i

$
M Manuals for club implementation
Generic Private Grants
$ $ Funding for the club
i Permenate infomation exchange
Generic Gov. Grants LEAD
Learning Differently Foundation NYC Schools
$

Special Gov. Grants

i Permenate infomation exchange Permenate infomation exchange i

NYC DOE


School outreach from Learning Differently
Foundation


Special Education teacher goes over
LEAD material with the principal


LEAD Club outreach within the
school with sign up posters


Special Education staff looks over the sign
up posters and organize the LEAD Club


Student goes to the front office to sign
up for LEAD Club date & time


1st Day of LEAD Club!


Learning Differently Foundation Business Model
Strategy
Schools get a “prepackaged” club
The children get an additional service for their learning disabilities
Parents have another way to get involved in their children’s lives

Structure
Learning Differently Foundation has an Advisory and Consultative board
Foundation is funded through city and federal grants
Biggest assumption is schools participation

Scale
Learning Differently Foundation’s scale is endless because learning disabilities are a global issue

Scope
Rely on school participation & local print shops


Learning Differently Foundation Business Model
Social Position

Builds student communication skills through activities that will help them with their future

Changes societies presecption of learning disabilities through awareness campaigns

The toolkit can be modified to fit schools individual needs

Learning Differently Foundation

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