Financial Gift to Help Expand Program for Children with Autism

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University is very proud to announce that its Mailman Segal Center for Human Development has received a substantial financial gift to help young children. The gift comes from The Kapila Family Foundation and is earmarked for MSC’s Starting Right Program, which will now be renamed the Kapila Family Starting Right Program. The Directors of the Foundation are Soneet and Prabodh Kapila.

“We are thankful to the Kapila Family Foundation for their generous support of the work we’re doing,” said Roni Cohen Leiderman, Ph.D., Dean of NSU’s Mailman Segal Center for Human Development. “This will support program growth and the provision of services to more students and their families.”

The current Starting Right program, which began in 2005, was created for children ages 21-36 months who exhibit delays in developing language and social skills. The program is designed to increase communication, social and school readiness skills and provides caregivers with techniques and strategies that are used both in the classroom and at home. During their time in the classroom, children and their caregivers participate in various activities together – from story and music time to art and sensory play – all of the actions encourage language and social development.

“The Kapila Family Starting Right Program provides a therapeutic program within a nurturing and welcoming environment for children and their parents,” Leiderman said. “It’s important that we provide individualized instruction, which addresses children’s’ challenges and supports their skills and strengths.”

In order to provide individualized instruction, classes are kept small. Classes are made up of 6-8 children, and there are two teachers present.  During their time in the classroom, children and parents participate in a variety of activities: with the total class, in small groups and in 1:1 ratios.  The classroom provides a highly structured environment that allows the children to engage in diverse learning opportunities.  NSU practicum graduate students also play a vital role in our classrooms as they are building their own professional skills in this field.

The stipulation of the financial gift is that the funds can only be used to help with the Kapila Family Starting Right program. Leiderman said it will go to help purchase additional classroom materials, provide training for teachers and parents and provide scholarships for families in need.

To speak to someone about the Kapila Family Starting Right program, contact Heather O’Brien at 954-262-7117 or via e-mail (oheather@nova.edu).

###

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 26,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

About NSU’s Mailman Segal Center for Human Development (MSC): One of the nation’s largest and most highly-respected, comprehensive early childhood demonstration and training facilities, MSC showcases best practices in the fields of early childhood education, family support, and parenting education. It fulfills its mission through direct services to families and children, development and implementation of early childhood education and training programs, research, community outreach programs, and advocacy. The integration of its programs within NSU’s wider community of higher education supports the commitment to quality program delivery and positions MSC to embrace future trends in the fields of early education and advanced study. For more information, please visit http://www.nova.edu/humandevelopment