Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Beginning in January, children between the ages of 18-36 months with speech and language challenges will benefit from a traditional, yet enhanced, preschool experience at the Roth Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando's award-winning Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center in the heart of Maitland.

Open to all faiths, the Roth JCC seeks to target communication-focused goals at a crucial stage in children's speech and language development. In addition to traditional preschool classroom learning approaches, the program will incorporate various supportive strategies including amplification devices, visual symbol systems, and sign language paired with spoken language in order to maximally facilitate communication growth.

"In the Words of Wonder program, your child will have ample opportunity to practice emerging skills with appropriate peers in a social environment," said Carol McNally, the early childhood director.  "All of our students will have access to the benefits of a traditional classroom experience as well as music, gym, computers and art at what's been rated as Orlando's best preschool."

The program facilitator, Niva Kilman MS CCC-SLP, is a licensed, and nationally certified speech and language pathologist.  A graduate of the University of Florida and Emerson College, Kilman's professional training and experience has focused on the preschool population across a variety of speech and language challenges. Kilman very much looks forward to working with families in helping their children to achieve all their communication goals.

The Roth JCC has been meeting with local ear, nose and throat specialists, audiologists, pediatricians, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, and parent support groups in an effort to spread the word about this new opportunity.

The class is expected to launch in January 2014 with a classroom of 10 children ages 18-36 moths.  For more information regarding this program, contact McNally at 407-645-0923 or at CarolM@orlandojcc.org.  Learn more about the Roth JCC at http://www.orlandojcc.org.