Winston Prep
Tuesday, September 19th, 2006
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My son is now attending Winston Prep, and I am so happy I found you, because for the first time in about 8-9 years, I have seen a very positive child. I no longer have to push him to do his homework, as he actually calls me at work to let me know before I get home that is done. How great he feels about his school work, his achievements, or the positive attitude towards his teachers and the work. As a twin, this is first time he does not feel as though he is competeing against his twin brother, as no one mentions that. God bless you all, he feels like an individual. Thank you Winston. I owe his positive attitude to the staff. I will never forget, you were there for me and my son. Now his borother does not feel so bad.
Thanks again.
Margaret,
I have a 8 year old with asperger syndrom,very high functioning attending Learning Spring elemantary, where I’ve never been happier, but he may not need their services in the next year or two so, and I am starting my search for middle schools. Winston was the first school they mentioned, and I’d love a parents point of view. I’m looking for parents who will be honest and straight for forward about their experiences. I’d would love whatever feedback you can give me.
This is an excellent school. They put us through the wringer before they accepted our child as a transfer student.. They get a lot of applicants for such few spots. If you are thinking of this school, apply your son for the 6th grade. At that point it will be the easiest to get in. My son is a combo of asperger’s and ld. Compared to the other special ed programs my son has been in — this school is a godsend. Next fall you should attend an open house. You will be very impressed. Attend during the day so that you can see the students in the classrooms. I did that, and knew immediately it was an environment in which my son would flourish.
Can anyone tell me a bit about the type of child at this school? Are there many kids on the spectrum, more “classic LD”, more developmental disabilities? How are social skills of the kids? They are moving up to Connecticut where I live and it’s been hard to get a read on whether the kids would be a match for our situation. I know CT may end up different than the NY school, but the info would still help. Thank you!
How much is this school. It doesn’t say on the web. also, are there any parents who have been able to get aid. If I use up all our life savings to send my son here the first year how realistic would it be for me to hope to get financial aid if I only make minimum wage?
Winston Prep is 45,000 p/year. They offer financial assistance based on need. We heard it’s usually not more than 1/2. But I’m sure there are exceptions. There’s no hurt in checking it out. My child is loving it there and thriving! Good luck!
You can also pursue state funding, which we did, and succeeded, in getting back about two-thirds. There are students at the school who are state-funded as well as having a scholarship. I don’t know about the Conn. school, but the NYC school, where my son attends, is the best thing that ever happened to us. The earlier your son starts, the more work they can do with him, and the farther along he will progress. Have you gone to visit the school? If not, do so, and bring these financial concerns up at that meeting. They give a lot of advice, because they know they are expensive, and want to help everyway they can.
My son is a high school junior with dyslexia and ADHD. We need some help with geometry as he is currently failing. He has a tutor and she meets with him each week. Does anyone know of any program on the computer or have any advice?We have contacted his teacher and counselor and have done the usual things etc.Thanks!
Mary Beth,
Is your son a student at Winston? My son is, and our experience is that they step in before the student “fails.” That’s the great thing about Winston.
My daughter attended a different high school, and when she was failing math, she had to see a tutor three days a week, after school, to keep her from being factored out of the school. Perhaps your son needs more than a once-a-week session with his tutor. I wouldn’t count on a computer program to keep him from failing. He needs tutor/teacher overview and feedback, which a computer program will not provide. By the way, at Winston, tutors meet with their students each and every day,for an entire session, as it is factored into the school day.
That’s why I’m puzzled that your post is here on the Winston board…
This is the first yeart at WPS for my 12 year old. He loves it, has made friends (to the extent an Asperger’s kid makes friends) and has leaped ahead in his schoolwork, especially math. The school is not perfect–but that’s to be expected; with every school, there’s always going to be something that’s not quite a good fit or that doesn’t work. The school has been very responsive to me as a parent and to my son’s needs, and has done a great deal to ease him into the treacherous waters of middle school life.
The school, however, is a FORTUNE, and I have yet to see any of it back from the Board, as our case is not yet resolved. Financially it’s a serious struggle for us. But when I see him independently plowing through his homework, or when I get his A’s and B’s report card, or when he comes off the bus all smiles and excited by something he learned that day, the struggle is more than worth it. best of all, he at last feels like the smart kid he really is behind all his disability.
I would recommend this school to any parent with a child with LD/Asperger’s Syndrome who didn’t have primary behavioral problems. Their school tours are extremely informative and their staff are very positive, upbeat people who are very approachable and open about their educational mission and their school culture.
And, appropos of posting #2: my son is a graduate of Learning Spring, another great school for 5-11 year old ASD kids.
We just finished a year at the CT school. My daughter is mild LD and really does not appear to have made progress this year which is upsetting. She has particular troubles in math and the math instruction was just not good. The school did not share any pre- or post-testing with us which was a huge concern because there is really no concrete way to judge whether she did indeed make progress; however, we had her independently evaluated and there were no gains shown. I was really concerned about the fact that the school has no pre/post numbers to share…this can’t be the way the NY school works, can it? We were really hoping that those number would help us to get money back from our district since we footed the bill ourselves, but as of now there is nothing to show them. I’m hoping for some reassurance that this is not typical. We are undecided about returning. My daughter was happy with the lower pressure environment, but low pressure shouldn’t be because there is nothing to learn!
Hello, My son will be attending Winston Prep this year. He has ADHD. I notice that the comments posted are from parents whose children have LD/Asperger’s Syndrome. Does anyone know if this school is suitable for my son. I feel that the public school system has failed him and he would never be able to pass the regents exam required for a regents diploma. I don’t want him to receive an IEP diploma. Please let me know what you think.
Dear Parent of New Kid:
I assume your child will be attending the NYC school?
That’s where my son went. He is now a freshman in college.
I think you will find that Winston NYC is a workable mix of
Asperger’s/LD/ADHD. Like you, I took my son out of non-public school
after 10 years. We got partial funding for Winston. We were ready to move out of the city if he did not get in…but he did. It is the best decision we ever made, your best option in NYC, as far as I’m concerned.
Your post is dated Aug. 5 — now that school has been in session for
a few weeks, how is he doing? Also, how old is he? My son was
15 when he started Winston. He’s now a freshman in a college with a
strong support program for LD/ADHD kids — a program he would never have gotten into if he hadn’t attended Winston.
We are very interested in WP as an option. My child’s issues are more executive function issues. I am worried that WP might be for kids who have more issues, like Asperger’s. My child is very social and I am worried that mot of the kids may have social issues as well. Does anyone know how severe the kids disabilities are? Does anyone have a very high functioning child at the school and how are they feeling socially?
About recouping the $45K tuition: Do not assume that you have to take what the board initially offers. Many education lawyers pressure their clients into taking the lame amounts the DOE offer because they want to do as little work as possible for the flat fee they’re paid. They frighten the parents into settling on the first or second offer, when a more aggressive (and therefore more work) approach might’ve gotten the whole amount. I know many people who’ve gotten 100% funding (including myself, every time). It all depends on (a) how good your lawyer is and (b) how good your case is. Shop around for lawyers. You don’t want one who’s just into settling and isn’t willing to prepare you for a hearing, especially if you have a case where the DOE has failed to offer placement, or an IEP. Your child has a right to FAPE. You need a lawyer willing to help you get it, not one who’s just trying to do the greatest volume of business.
Good luck to all!
And there are a lot of social kids there. I see a lot of hanging out outside of the school at lunch and when school ends.
We are going to the open house next week. He has been attending Gersh – aqnd though he doesn’t have any academic problems – he is ADHD and borderline Asperger’s. Thouh I think Gersh is more academically challenging from wwhat has been described – the kid’s seem more emotionally balanced at Winston and both his advocate and neuropsychologist thought it would be a good fit.
Money is not the main concern – Gersh is far more expensive and we have always been fully funded (not state funded). My question is – has anyone seen any gifted children at Winston and how do they handle them. He needs both a low pressure environment and to be academically challenged at the same time – is that possible at Winston?
My son was recently accepted at Winston Prep. He just turned 15 and has a nonverbal learning disability with only mild social deficits. I was very impressed by the school and the fact that the kids generally seemed HAPPY. I am, however, concerned about the cost and uncertainty about how much we will ultimately recover.
My son will probably also be accepted at the Community School in Teaneck, NJ. The Community School is an approved nonpublic school and will probably be paid 100% by the NYC Dept of Ed. However, I’m concerned about the fact that only a small % of the kids there have a nonverbal LD.
Did anyone else have to make a similar choice (between Winston and Community)? If so, and what factored into your choice? I see that there are no parent posts under The Community School, so I am unsure of how the Community School deals with kids with Nonverbal LD.
Has anyone compared Summit and Winston? My instinct is that Winston has higher expectations for it’s students, but I’ve heard that there have been a lot of positive recent changes at Summit, especially at the high school. We need a school that will break up the math into digestable bits, in very small classes with lots of help.
Also, my 12 yr old son has classic signs of discalculia and is now 2 yrs behind in math. Are these schools really able to help kids catch up, or do they have some sort of transitional approach if they are not ready for college when they turn 18?
I attended an open house at Winston and was really impressed. My daugher is 14 and going into the 9th grade. She is for the most part mainstream with a learning disability in math (arithmetic disorder) and some cognitive/perceptual issues. Does anyone have a child attending Winston with similar ld’s? Have you found it to be a good fit? And, has your child shown improvement?
Lynn,
While waiting for a reply to my June 6 post, I saw your question. So, while I don’t have a child yet attending Winston with similar LDs, I have spent quite a bit of time at the school considering it for my 15 year old son. The school seems to be the one school in NYC that has a large % of kids who have (broadly defined) “nonverbal learning disability” which typically involves problems in math and perceptual-motor activities. Speaking with the staff, I was impressed with their understanding of these types of kids and their highly individualized (yet coherent) approach to intervention. So, I would think it would likely be a good fit for your daughter.
In my observations, the kids generally seem social and well-adjusted, although there are a couple –including the Asperger kids– who certainly have more problems in the social arena.
As I have been inquiring about Winston Prep vs the Community School in NJ (both of which claim to screen out kids with primary emotional problems), I have been hearing positive things about both schools. However, there are a somewhat higher # of recent complaints about Winston. This seems to arise from the fact that, as a nonapproved school that has a more vulnerable budget situation, Winston may occasionally find itself in the position of accepting kids that don’t really fit the profile they work with best, in order to fill empty seats. So, your child might end up in a class with kids who have more behavior problems.
If $ were not an issue, I think I would chose Winston Prep for my son. At this point, given that $ is an issue, I am leaning toward placing my son at the Community School in Teaneck.
Karen
My son has been in CTT classes in a public school, a state approved school, and now (sigh) will be moving to a private school. All schools bow to different pressures to accept kids that are not who they work best with. Every school is imperfect and its a question of the best (if not perfect) fit, and what parts of the puzzle the parents can provide.
My son is leaving a school where too many of the kids had primary emotional issues, which my son doesn’t have, but the larger problem was the academics. If your child is social, there are other opportunities to make friends like in your neighborhood or after-school activities. I will say that the school with ED kids was spectacular at helping my son with the co-morbid emotional issues that all kids with LD’s have.
Every school has something positive to offer, and we have to fill in the rest.
karen…community school has kids with behavior issues..its not a good mix for some kids….i live in englewood and will hopefully have to travel to city for my daughter..
I am attending an open house for Winston in NYC. My son has been at Claremont Prep for several years and they are accommodating him but the work is daunting with his ADHD disability. He was just recently diagnosed. How do I go about getting state funding or funding from Winston, how does that work? Some one told me you get an IEP from Board of Ed? Any advice about that would be appreciated, since it’s more than his current school which is a stretch for us.
I just decided to update my post from about 5 months ago, when I was vacillating between placing my son at Winston Prep in NYC and the Community School at Teaneck. After my son spent a ~ day in both schools, he decided that he wanted to go to Winston. The kids at Community didn’t seem particularly happy to him, and the kids at Winston did.
Zoom forward a couple of months: We bit the bullet and paid out Winston’s huge tuition, hoping that our lawyer could get us at least partial tuition reimbursement from the DOE.
(Aside to Susan W: you will need a lawyer to get funding for Winston; many reputable ones will do an initial consult with you gratis — many private LD schools can provide a legal referral; but I suspect you’d be hard pressed to get funding, if your child doesn’t have an IEP and if you haven’t first explored public options.)
Bottom line: After only 2 months at Winston, the transformation in my 15 year old son is amazing. He feels that he can succeed, he is showing amazing independence, and the quality of his academic work is solid. His self-esteem has been repaired beyond my wildest imagination. He is even doing well socially, something that I (and even he) predicted would take quite a long time.
To give you a single example of the transformation: Toward the end of last year, spent in a public high school, my son said that he wasn’t sure that he wanted to finish high school. Last week, my son asked me whether I thought he had enough extracurricular activities to get into a good college!
From speaking to others, my son’s story is not that unusual.
I’m in the fortunate position of being able to say that, even if we get minimal or no tuition reimbursement from the DOE, we made the right decision.
I realize that Winston isn’t for every kid. During my son’s first week at Winston, I ran into a teenage girl on the bus who was telling another kid that she had recently left Winston for a public high school. When I questioned her about the change, she said that she really didn’t need that level of support and didn’t fit in socially.
So, it always come down to fit between child and school.
After attending Winston Prep for one year, I could not find one positive thing to say about this institution. From September to June I made one friend, who was in a very similar situation as me. This situation is that I am a 16 year old girl with learning disabilities, but with no social issues such as Asperger’s Syndrome. While I understand that Winston is an incredible fit for children with that diagnosis, prospective students with no social impairments would not have as easy an adjustment. Winston talks about mainstreaming students once they are ready, but when they heard about my friend leaving, they were extremely unprofessional about it, worried because they had just lost their poster child. They had the few students who did not have Asperger’s Syndrome, mainly being me and my friend, talk to prospective parents about how great the school is, but not be honest about what we really felt socially. We looked at two other types of schools, others that were for kids with learning differences and mainstream, which both she and I ended up going to. When it comes to academics, Winston was not a good fit for me, not to say that it wouldn’t be for anyone else. Not being given the option to even take a language whatsoever was upsetting for me. I understand that while some kids are not going to be able to take a language for a number of reasons, but it should be given as an option for those who are able to take it on. At my new school, I am doing much better on a social level, but with academics, I am having some more trouble adjusting. The pace is much faster and like in college, they are not going to hold your hand through the process, like they did at Winston. While I completely understand that for some students, going to a college for people with learning disabilities would be beneficial, but I would not want to attend an institution like that, so obviously I would want to be fully prepared for what a mainstream college would require. I wish nothing but the best for the students and faculty of Winston Prep, and if you are looking for a good academic experience, and are set with a social life outside of school, then Winston is the place for you. However, if you are like me or my friend, and would like a fuller high school experience, than I would look elsewhere.
When my friend heard that I was writing this, she asked me to say that while her experience was similar, she would recommend you go only if you need the academic help as soon as possible, seeing as your grades or self esteem could not go any lower. But that one should not go there if they want a vast array of friends or a fufilling social life. She said that when Winston was supposed to place children in art classes with students who are a good fit for them socially, she was put in a class with students who only had Asperger’s Syndrome. She was then told by the teacher that she was most likely excess and there was nothing he could do about it. If your child has Asperger’s Syndrome, Winston Prep is an amazing institution, that your child would thrive in. But if he/she is in any way like me, I would steer clear of Winston. As Karen said before this post, it always comes down to fit between child and school. I hope this has been eye-opening for anyone who is in this position.
Hi,I was wondering were you are attending school?.My daughter is speach and language impaired ,centeral auditory processing dissorder as well as adhd.She is a happy child with no emotional issues wants to please and wants despiratly to learn.she is 11 1/2 and does want a social life as well.She is taking spanish in school now and wants to learn Italan.She is also learning Hebrew.Where Are the good schools for her to attend with these issues only.
Question to Lulu Fishman:
I am repeating the previous poster’s question: Where are you — and your friend — now attending high school? Finding a public high school in NYC beneficial to students with LD issues is a huge problem for concerned parents. I searched for four years. My son graduated from Winston and is now a sophomore in college. His experience there was successful, and he is not Asperger’s. His best friend, who went to public high school and has LD issues, had to be home-schooled after some very threatening in-school experiences — involving guns and gangs and school “lock-downs” — in a neighborhood public high school. If you and your friend have found a healthy, helpful alternative to private school — PLEASE share with this community the name of your high schools. It would be very helpful. If you do not wish to share the name of the school, please give us the reasons. That too would be helpful. We were considering moving out of the city to find a high school, uprooting an entire family. Finding an appropriate high school for our children with LD is that difficult. We would welcome hearing from students who have found high school environments in which they feel academically and socially supported, and most of all, safe.
Does anyone have any comments about the Winston Prep. in Norwalk? We were considering it for our daughter, but the friend she has there is leaving after this year because, according to the mom, the director there is “in over her head”.. Same issues with few social opportunities that I have read above (really wide range of types of kids and many who are not college prep.), but also there is apparently a wide range in the quality of the teachers…some are great and some are terrible…and they don’t get rid of the bad ones. I’m disappointed because there aren’t too many options here in Connecticut. We’re going to look at Forman, which is where my daughter’s friend is going next year, but we hate to have to have her board….
Does anyone have any other recommendations for other LD schools in SW Connecticut? My child is starting 9th Grade, has Central Auditory Processing Disorder & Math learning issues. She has tested at above average intellectual potential for all subjects except math-and even at that tests at the higher end of average-although fails it in school. She barely gets by in most core subjects in school. She participated in the Resource Program for 8th grade. She lacks any self confidence. She thinks she is “stupid” which she is not as verified through the battery of IEP tests.
She has no social issues.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Sherry Ann. My son is in a very similar situation. He refuses a “special ed” school b/c of the title. In Greenwich there is the Beacon school which grew out of the Greenwich Ed. Prep center. We are looking at that. Winston has mixed reviews re. socialization for mainstream kids.
Hi, I am a student at winston connecticut. I have to say this school is a wonderful school. The teachers are all so nice and helpful! This is my first year at winston but I love it here! On the first day when I walked in and I was nervous it melted away instantly because kids were coming up to me and trying to make me feel comfortable and were always trying to make sure I was ok and not upset or stressed. I have to say at first they may not enjoy it but that is what happens with most schools. I promise these schools are GREAT!
We have a daughter who is at Winston Prep in CT. She has no social issues. It is true that they have a very small group of students with no social issues, and that there are a significant amount of students with larger issues, but they are making an effort to separate out the two groups. Her more typical social peer group is small there, but we are hoping that some more typical kids (socially, that is) will continue to come to the school. I think it is a bit of a turn-off for some parents who pull up in their cars to tour and see kids that are clearly much lower functioning…I know it was for us, especially because our consultant had told us the school was for “average to above average IQs”. But there aren’t too many good alternatives. The Beacon school sounds interesting, but it’s so tiny that it seems like our kid would still have the same amount of typical peers as at Winston. We are hoping that Winston continues to get stronger academically, as that will draw in more college-bound kids as well. They definitely have some teachers there that are “clicky” and are probably still in their jobs because they are part of the click. It’s clear that there is a huge opportunity for another school of this type which takes a narrower band of kids to come into Fairfield County. But I hope that Winston starts to do the things that will help them really grow and flourish, and I think that providing strong teachers, a solid curriculum, and encouraging socially appropriate, college-bound kids are some of the things that will help the school establish a solid presence. After all, there are already many, many programs for lower functioning kids in the area.
To the parent looking at Beacon in Greenwich, CT. I was curious what you thought. I just spoke to their Dir of Admissions today. It seems very small, and maybe not much socialization. Anyone know anything? What about accreditation or ability to receive accredited diploma from State of CT? Thanks!
Re #30- dear sherry ann,
i would love to hear any follow up you might have gotten as my middle school daughter is in the same situation. Thanks for any info you can share. I also wonder if anyone has input about Villa Maria in Stamford.