The Tikvah Center
4 years old - 5th Grade
The Tikvah Center is dedicated to the mission of giving children on the autism spectrum the opportunity to reach their highest potential in a nurturing, child-centered environment with an individually designed program of learning.
The hope is that our specialized program, for children 5-10 years old, will build a bridge for our students to achieve inclusion in a typical classroom setting. The Tikvah Center curriculum promotes growth and development in each child’s academic, social-emotional, behavioral, ethical, and spiritual domain. Our caring and well trained teachers use a wide range of highly individualized, research-based intervention strategies to facilitate language acquisition, behavioral skills, and independence.
Unlike traditional autism programs, our students also have various opportunities for inclusion, both in the classroom and in social settings. With encouragement and support, they develop crucial communication skills and can successfully participate in mainstream settings.
The word Tikvah means hope in Hebrew. As part of the Beth David community, our students learn to embrace the wisdom and traditions of Judaism. Our program is open to children of diverse heritage, and offers a nurturing environment where all families are welcomed.
Academics
Curriculum is personalized to each child
Small class size (1:3 teacher to student ratio)
Therapists are welcome in school
Mainstream Track in art, music, computers and physical education
Applied Behavior Analysis / Discrete Trial Training
Kindergarten Readiness Curriculum
Early Play and Socialization Curriculum
Behavior Intervention Implementation & Development (BII & BID)
Picture Exchange Communication System
Floor time techniques
Adaptive physical education
Judaic Studies
SAT and BRIGANCE testing to measure academic progress
Social Skills
Recess and lunch with Day School peers
Social skills group 3x week to work on appropriate communication with each other
5th grade Buddy Program where students read and play games with Tikvah students once a week
Star Program focused on social and language arts
Media & Technology
State-of-the-Art Technology
Smart Boards
iPads and touch screen computers
Assistive technology including augmentative communication applications.
Individualized curriculum
Our goal is to help children reach their maximum potential. Students are challenged academically in a nurturing environment that meets their individual needs in a small class setting with opportunities for inclusion, both in the classroom and in social settings.
Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)
4 - 5 years
Our ECI program at the Tikvah Center offers a 1:3 early intervention program in partnership with Florida International University (FIU). Under the supervision of a BCBA and classroom educator, FIU Masters’ students apply the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and individualized programming with evidence -based practices. This program provides support in all developmental domains (e.g. social-emotional, cognitive, language and literacy, fine and gross-motor skills) to build independence and self-help skills.
This program is offered in a full and half-day format.
Participation in this program does not guarantee admission into The Tikvah Center elementary school program.