January 20, 2010

Dear Dane Peters,

Open House Nursery School is one of the few “mainstream” early childhood programs in Brooklyn welcoming children with special needs. Every year we become more convinced of how precious this service is. We are writing to urge you to do all in your power to ensure the continued existence of The Little Room. We all know that the Little Room has created a highly successful environment for small children with special needs. But just as importantly, it has provided other centers such as Open House with experienced, well-trained evaluators, teachers and therapists. Without its support and inspiration our school may be less able to include children with special needs.

As it becomes clearer and clearer what a critical difference early intervention can make in a child’s development, the prospect of losing The Little Room is wrenching. There are simply not enough special needs teachers, evaluators, and centers to go around, and certainly there is none to take the place of such a vital resource as The Little Room. Just as Maria Montessori showed the world a new way to teach children, The Little Room demonstrated to all of New York City how therapeutic services can change the future for young children.

Not too long ago Open House experienced the need to relocate. We are all too aware how much time it takes to find, renovate and finance a move. Surely someone at BHMS remembers the challenges faced when it relocated from Montague Street to Bergen Street. If extending The Little Room’s stay at Brooklyn Heights Montessori for one more year will make the difference between its collapse and its survival, we strongly urge you to do all you can to extend its stay. Providing a reasonable time frame for relocation demonstrates respect for The Little Room’s contributions to BHMS and to Brooklyn.

Sincerely yours,

Eileen Shannon Director openhousenurseryschool.com

Amy Herrick Assistant Director