Over the past four decades, awareness, sensitivity and teamwork have been key strategies for helping children with disabilities learn at the Tiegerman School.
Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, CEO of Tiegerman School and Community Services, headquartered in Glen Cove, has been running her schools, which feature a state-approved private school program for children with language disorders and developmental disabilities, since 1985.
“I think the most important thing to help a child with a disability is a parent who is very aware, very sensitively attuned, who is willing to step out and look for a program that is a match for the child,” she said. “Because the parent has to work with a teacher to address the child’s needs. It’s really the three of them working together over time that will overcome the disability.”
Tiegerman is a life-cycle agency that works with children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families from Long Island and NYC. It also has day-treatment programs and three residences providing services and homes for adults with developmental disabilities.
“We have a range of programs and services, all the way from preschool, elementary, middle, high school and day treatment programs,” Tiegerman explained.
The preschool program’s curriculum includes theme-based lessons that develop critical language and academic skills, tailoring activities to each child’s Individualized Education Program, known as an IEP. Lessons prepare the students for elementary school. Here, staying aligned with NYS learning standards, the school’s Tiegerman Extraordinary Language & Literacy (TELL) program provides lessons in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, integrating phonics, literature, and Fast ForWord for auditory processing support.
Middle schools provide group and individual counseling to support students’ emotional well-being and also feature a comprehensive curriculum, including a tailored education. Come high school, programs feature not only academics but life skills that help prepare students for college, careers, and independence.
Tiegerman Schools have about 600 students enrolled, and its language program is a centerpiece of all the programs offered, Tiegerman said.
“We really believe that language is a software program, and we are experts at teaching the extraordinary,” she said. “Our teachers are extraordinary, our children are extraordinary and our parents are extraordinary. But we know about language learning.”
Approximately 400 teachers are on staff at the preschool, elementary, middle, and high schools. All are trained in the Tiegerman Learning Method, which emphasizes language development and language facilitation in the classroom.
“Each classroom is a language laboratory where children learn to speak, to communicate, to ask questions and to read,” Tiegerman described.
Tiegerman schools typically have 12 students, two teachers and two teaching assistants in each classroom. Most students start their education at Tiegerman in early childhood and stay through high school graduation.
History of Tiegerman
Tiegerman’s path to creating a network of schools and services began with a deeply personal experience.
When her younger sister lost her ability to speak after a childhood accident at a NYC park at age 4, Tiegerman saw, even at a young age, how alone language challenges can make a child feel.
Shortly after the accident, her father, who worked for the NYS Insurance Fund at the time, threw himself into helping his daughter communicate again—all as he worked his full-time job to support the family.
He borrowed money against his pension to purchase school books and other materials and immediately went to work setting up a training program for his daughter to teach at home.
“I watched him work with her every night for 12 years,” Tiegerman said. “And when she graduated high school, she gave him her diploma and said, ‘Mommy gave me my first life, and you gave me my second life.’ And that was my transformative experience as a child and why I started Tiegerman Schools.”
Not only did Tiegerman’s sister learn to speak again, but today she is a practicing physician in Manhattan.
Tiegerman was a speech and hearing professor at Adelphi University in Garden City when she started the schools—starting with a preschool class of 36 students. Today, she not only runs the Tiegerman schools but also day-treatment programs and residences for adults with developmental disabilities.
40th anniversary
Tiegerman schools are enjoying a 40th anniversary this year. A gala to celebrate the occasion will take place at The Inn at New Hyde Park on May 8.
“We welcome visitors and guests to help celebrate what has been an unbelievable journey of love and success,” Tiegerman said.
The gala will honor board member Paul Rosen, one of the original families whose daughter was enrolled in Tiegerman, and Toya Davis, a board member whose son was one of the original students. Toya remains active in the school 40 years later as a parent liaison, working with existing parents and prospective parents.
They will also honor Christine Baker, Teacher of the Year and Christine Austin, Tiegerman Community Services.
Tickets for the Tiegerman School and Community Services 40th Celebration are still available. For more information, email iscalfani@tiegerman.org or call 516-609-2000 ext. 312 or 313.
