August 23, 2021 STANDFORDVILLE, N.Y. — The Anderson Center for Autism will open its first preschool next month in Dutchess County for children ages 3 to 5 with behavioral characteristics of autism and related disorders.
The preschool, housed at Cold Spring Elementary School in Stanfordville, will have a capacity of 20 students, the Anderson Center said in a statement announcing the program. Cold Spring Elementary is part of the Pine Plains school district.
Patrick Paul, chief executive officer and executive director of Anderson Center for Autism, said the preschool will provide a “long-awaited, much-needed option in Dutchess County for young children with autism and their families.”
Janine Babcock, director of pupil personnel for the Pine Plains Central school district, said the new program will offer two full-day classes at the Stanfordville site. Currently, children who the preschool will serve have to travel to the southern or western ends of Dutchess County for Anderson-run programs.
The preschool’s classrooms will have self-contained special education areas and integrated settings. Both also will include learning and therapeutic experiences customized to the needs of each individual child, the Anderson Center said.
The nonprofit Anderson Center for Autism also offers educational, vocational and residential services to people with autism spectrum disorder on its Staatsburg campus as well as other locations in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties.
The new program will be Anderson’s first focused entirely on preschool-age children.
For more information about the program call (845) 889-9208 or go to AndersonCenterForAutism.org.
