Astoria Blue Feather Early Learning Center

A barrier-free school, providing high-quality services to children with developmental delays and their families for over 30 years

Eligibility criteria:
Our school accepts children ages 3-5.
Eligibility is determined by the Committee on Preschool Special Education.

Astoria Blue Feather Early Learning Center accepts children aged 3 to 5 with developmental delays, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, Communication Disorders, Down Syndrome, and Orthopedic needs. Our school, located in Astoria, Queens, offers small classrooms with 8 to 12 students, ensuring individual attention from our dedicated teachers.

Principal: Sandra Evangelista-Gilman
Address: 27-07 8th Street, Astoria, NY 11102
Phone: 718-721-3960
Staff Hours: M-F 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Program Hours: M-F 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

General Information

We understand that children learn best when taught in their preferred language. At ABF, Speech and Language therapists offer bilingual instruction in Spanish. Our bilingual staff is eager to assist families in understanding their child’s diagnosis and education journey. Our staff uses developmentally appropriate practices suited to each child’s learning needs, and technology such as computers and iPads to enhance learning in the classroom.

Our gym is a specialized foam matted play space with equipment that stimulates a child’s senses, vestibular, and proprioception systems. It is designed to be safe, supportive, and fun, with activities that help our students develop essential skills, regulate emotions, and improve their overall well-being. Activities such as swings, tunnels, bubble fans, tent, stairs, peanut ball, rockers etc. are utilized to stimulate students’ various senses.  Our sensory gym can help our students develop appropriate responses to stimuli, which can lead to increased independence and tolerance to new stimuli. Our sensory gym is especially beneficial for students with sensory disorders, such as autism, ADHD, or other learning differences.  It assists our students with body awareness, motor skills as well as communication and social skills.

Parents are encouraged to be active partners in their child’s education. We offer Parent/Teacher Conferences, virtual workshops and training sessions, as well as opportunities for families to participate in their child’s therapy sessions. Additionally, parents are invited to participate in school events, trips, and other activities.

From the first day I was there, I knew I had made the right choice for my son.

Parent of a student at Astoria Blue Feather Early Learning Center

Faculty & Staff

Instruction is provided by licensed special education teachers and New York State certified teacher assistants. Our experienced teachers and staff create a nurturing environment for children to thrive. We provide specialized instruction and support for children with diverse needs, including the use of communication systems like PECS and AAC.

The school Principal holds a School Building Leader certificate and is also a dually licensed Special and General education teacher.

The school’s Program Coordinator, also a School Building Leader and special education teacher, supports classroom teachers and staff to provide a supportive and enriching environment for every child.

Our support and administrative staff includes licensed and certified clinicians in:

• Nursing
• Speech & Language Pathology
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• 1:1 Aide (Paraprofessional)

Instruction & Curricula

Astoria Blue Feather ELC utilizes The Creative Curriculum for Preschools which focuses on child development, learning environments, content areas, defining the teacher role, and recognizing the family role, in conjunction with Teaching Strategies Gold Online Assessment System. Along with the established “interest areas” in the classroom (block area, dramatic play area, art, etc.), the Creative Curriculum supports social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. The Creative Curriculum emphasizes small group instruction and rotations to provide the most effective, accessible instruction. Teaching Strategies Gold Online Assessment System is an authentic, observation-based assessment tool designed to assess the development and learning of children from birth through kindergarten and it is aligned with the Early Childhood Framework for Quality (EFQ) and with early learning standards in every state. This assessment tool has granted our program the opportunity to measure student progress and ensure that the students are meeting New York State learning standards. Along with measuring student growth, this tool has provided our program with a systemic approach to aggregating, analyzing, and disseminating data to our classroom teachers and staff as well as to our families.

Our school utilizes The Creative Curriculum for Preschools to support social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development, emphasizing small group instruction and rotations to provide the most effective, accessible instruction.  This curriculum focuses on:

• Child development
• Learning environments
• Content areas
• Defining the teacher role
• Recognizing the family role

In conjunction with The Creative Curriculum for Preschools, we utilize the Teaching Strategies Gold Online Assessment System, an observation-based assessment tool designed to assess the development and learning of children from birth through kindergarten. This tool is used to measure student progress and ensure that the students are meeting New York State learning standards, while providing a systemic approach to aggregating, analyzing, and disseminating data to our classroom teachers, staff, and families.

Astoria Blue Feather is such a treasure for my son and our family… They are courteous and always open to collaborate on how to best serve my child’s needs.

Parent of a student at Astoria Blue Feather Early Learning Center

When it comes to preschool education, the staff at ABF Early Learning Center recognizes the five essential domains that impact instruction and learning. They are:

1. Approach to learning: how children become involved in learning and acquire knowledge
2. Physical development and health: children’s physical health and ability to engage in daily activities
3. Social and emotional development: the emotional competence and ability to form positive relationships that give meaning to experiences in the home, school, and community
4. Communication, language, and literacy: children’s understanding, creation, and communication of meaning
5. Cognition and knowledge of the world: what children need to know and understand about their world and how they apply what they know.

Additionally, we use Handwriting without Tears curriculum to enhance learning. Handwriting without Tears is designed to encompass foundation skills for successful learning by providing an optimal learning experience in the areas of playing and singing, motor development, social/emotional, cognitive/language, and sensory and visual perceptual skills.

We promote healthy eating habits through classroom cooking projects, and families are asked to provide a healthy and nutritious lunch and snack for their child each day.

With all the support available at Astoria Blue Feather Early Learning Center combined with nurturing, dedicated and professional staff, families can feel confident in entrusting their child’s education to us.

Astoria Blue Feather Early Learning Center FAQs