Alternatives for Children Has Busy Start to Slow Year

Though enrollment is down at , a private non-profit pre-school in Aquebogue, teacher Karen DeMey still had her hands full with nine energetic children running around the playground Tuesday afternoon.

And the lifelong pre-school teacher said she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love to see the growth in kids, from beginning to end,” she said of the September to June school year. “Some have bigger issues than others. We’re an important satellite here — we have kids coming from Orient one way and East Moriches the other way.”

Formerly known as St. Charles Educational and Therapeutic Center, Alternatives For Children is a chain of private schools on the East End for nursery to pre-school children, ages 3 to 5, of typical development but with special needs. Established in 1988 as a not-for-profit organization, the school provides about 600 children per year with day care and specialized instruction in small groups. Teachers use dance, music and play as learning tools and provide speech therapy, physical and psychological therapy and social work services.

This Saturday, and Sports Car Rally happens at 8:30 a.m. beginning in Aquebogue, continuing along the North Fork and North Shore and ending in Belle Terre. The rally directly benefits the programs and services for children with disabilities that they serve — and it’s not too late to register your classic car for the event (click on the link above more information).

With restrictions from the county and paperwork getting more extensive, DeMey, who’s been teaching at the Aquebogue location since 2001, said that enrollment is a bit down this year compared to others. But she still is seeing 16 kids in the morning and 11 in the afternoon sessions, which run for two and a half hours each. Some children are autistic, others have language delays, and others are typical pre-school kids.

“They all play well together,” DeMey said.

Parents along with their local school district representatives decide whether a child needs the Alternatives for Children environment during their pre-school years before they go through the enrollment process. DeMay said that summer sessions are also available, and that she had a busy summer season with the pre-schoolers — always her favorite age group to work with.

“I have worked with the bigger kids — elementary and junior high — but I always come back to these guys,” she said. “I go to school and I play. It’s a great job.”