Looking for Recommendations on Preschools in Glendale and Surrounding Areas

Hi, I'm also looking for a school and found this web site.
www.greatschools.net it shows you everthing about school..
and also do the comparison...

Hope this can help you~*

D.,
I don't live in your area, but I do have a daughter that shows signs of Autism. In fact she has Epilepsy, and my husband has two first cousins with Autism. So I can understand what you are going through, and know the challenges you are feeling. I think it is great that you are going to be putting him in preschool, obviously, as I said that I don't live there, but I will give you some advise on choosing one, and some other things that I don't know if anyone has told you about. First, choose a preschool that has low child to teacher ratios. My daughter is in the Early Childhood program here in Nevada, and it is fabulous. Your son should be eligible in CA when he turns three. This is through your county, and they are required to start children with disabilities in school early, but it is voluntary on your part, you don't have to use their services. Right now there should be an intervention program offered through your state that will come into your home, or your childs daycare center to work with him in his own environment. That program ends a 3, and that is when the county, or your public school system will start the preschool. In the mean time, I've found that smaller settings are better with my daughter. She is best with children that are slightly younger than she. This is because the kids her own age and older are louder, moving around more etc. and in larger centers or classrooms, it can be sensory overload, and she is prone to more meltdowns. Currently, I have her in the county preschool, and in a private preschool, for just two days weekly with her age group for typical peer exposure. They try to mainstream mildly autistic, or as many children that they can within the public schools, so I have her involved in as much as I can, but I have only been able to do this since she turned 4. Before this, she would melt down too much.
Remember, everything with special needs children will happen on their time. Don't be concerned about potty training at 2, if he isn't ready, or he isn't talking at a certain age, it will take time, and it isn't your fault! My daughter took until she was 4 and a half to potty train, but she does it! He will do things when he is ready, and with your support.
Sorry I am just rambling, but I know how hard it is, and we need support sometimes. I wish I had more of it early on. Hope this helps. Good luck with your preschool shopping!
K.

Hi D.. I know of a preschool in Eagle Rock. I worked there before I had children, then two of my children went there. Many of my cousins have attended there as well (one is there now!) I remember several children with autism or asperger's coming through the school. It is such a warm environment, and being a small school, the staff often know all the students (even if they are not in their class). When my daughter attended there last year, it was still very competitively priced, too. It is Westminster Child Center located on Eagle Rock Blvd. The phone number is ###-###-####. Good luck finding the perfect place for your baby!

D. H,

The best recomendation that I have is for you to contact your pediatrician. I live in Glendora and we were referred to the Regional Center in Pomona. She was not diagnosed with Autism but she did have sever speech delay. When she was 3 yrs old she only spoke 5 words. Through the Glendora Unified School District they offered her free speech therapy and they eventually put her in a special class for kids with Speech delay and some did have Autism. Through the State of California, children with special needs must be taken care of. I did put her in a private preschool and that was a big mistake because they did not have the training to deal with her speech delays. She was getting into fights and there were other issues too. My daughter will be 5 years old next month and we can't get her to quiet down. But it was the best thing we did was to put her in the Special Needs Class. If I were you I would also contact the Glendale School District office asap and find out what programs that are being offered. If they do offer classes, which most districts do offer, he will have to be tested to find out where he they feel he should be placed but it will be well worth it. The best advise I can tell you is stand up for your child. You are the best advocate for your child and you need to fight for his rights to make sure that he is being taken care of.
Good luck with your endevors.

K.

I don't have any school recommendations but since I am also looking at preschools now just thought I would let you know that I have found good programs in unlikely places. You can google preschools in your area and whatnot, but I have also found programs in places that don't come up in a search. The junior college by me has a really great program (they call it a child development center) and there is also an adult school by me that has a program. Some temples and churches also have accredited programs.
There is actually a lot of footwork involved in finding a place that meets high standards. Good Luck!

My duaghter goes to Grandview Children's Center on Glenoaks & Ruberta in Glendale. I don't know about their experience with autistic children but it is truly a loving place. They operate under the idea that children are very capable if we give them the opportunity. They spend a lot of time outdoors and do a lot of artwork. My daughter loves going there and adores her teachers. Check it out and see what you think. Good luck.

Hi D.,

I would highly recommend Glendale Preschool & Kindergarten located at 225 S. Verdugo Rd. in Glendale, 91205; ###-###-####. My son has attended since 2 yrs. old when he barely spoke & I was worried that he had a speech delay problem. Once he was saturated in the preschool enviroment, his language picked up by osmosis & now at 4 yrs. old, he is Mr. Chatterbox & sometimes he won't shut up! =) I never got discouraged when his pediatrician would hand out those "Developmental Marker" sheets & I saw that my son had not yet achieved the X# of words expected for his age. However, my son grew up in a multi-language household, so I gave him some extra time to figure out all the different languages surrounding him. I'm not sure if the multi-language situation applies to your household or not but I've been told by others that if your household is a bilingual or trilingual household, that it's "normal" for the child to take some time to differentiate the difference & to get "up to speed." I do not honestly know whether Glendale Preschool & Kindergarten has a program for "special needs" children. However, I do recall the owner/principal, Ms. Irene (a very nice blond lady) mentioning that there are some autistic children that attend there. This would lead me to believe that they would have a program for your child. I know that they have Open House & their staff is friendly & very loving towards the children. They have a low student/teacher ratio & each class has 3 ladies taking care of the children (1 Teacher & 2 Teacher's Aides). Their academic curriculum is age appropriate w/quarterly report cards on your child's progress, abilities, behavior, learning achievements & developmental progress. They are not "daycare babysitters" as some preschools merely are. Their teachers are expected to maintain their early child development credentials & they have a yearly "In Service" training day for all their staff. Besides academics, they also assist in potty training. They were great in helping potty train my son. This gold star (in my book) school is surprisingly quite affordable. Please do your "due diligence" & check out all the available schools. Go visit each one that sounds like they would be able to offer your child what he needs. And don't ever be afraid to ask questions (I did) to find the right school for your child. Good luck w/your search.

I don't know of any preschools but I wanted to let you know that there is a music therapy clinic at Cal State Northridge that would be able to provide wonderful services for your sons needs, even at this young age. Good luck!