Skip to main content
Advocating for people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities to lead full and equitable lives.
AHRC New York City

Advocating for people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities to lead full and equitable lives.

Specializing in Services to Children with Developmental Delays Including Autism and Those Who Are Medically Fragile

Eligibility criteria:
Our school accepts children ages 3-5.

Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Francis of Paola Early Learning Center is a National Association for the Education of Young Children, (NAEYC)-accredited preschool that has been part of the Williamsburg community since 1998.


Principal: Teresa Del Priore, MSED, SAS
Address: 201 Conselyea Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: 718-782-1462
School Hours: M-F 8:30-2:00



General Information

FOP serves approximately 150 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old, providing individualized educational and therapeutic services to children who have developmental delays such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), communication disorder, Cerebral Palsy, orthopedic needs, and Down Syndrome.

image 1

Classrooms at FOP have different teacher-to-child ratios, depending on the needs of the young learners. For children with autism or related disorders, FOP has created classrooms with the highest levels of support that utilize ABA-based methodology, programming, and assessment, presented by highly-trained instructors. These classrooms use the STAR Autism Program, a research-supported curriculum designed to help learners with ASD make the necessary gains to engage more successfully with their environments.

Students paint Jelly Beans as part of an art project

FOP offers multiple opportunities for all parents to visit the school, attend free workshops, volunteer, and attend progress reports and team meetings. Parents are always recognized as key participants in their child’s education.

The FOP community strives through compassion, support, and expertise to enhance the lives of today’s young learners and support their families in with all available resources. When young students leave FOP, they are better prepared to meet the challenges of elementary school.


Faculty & Staff

All staff in FOP are accredited by the state of New York. Each classroom includes a certified teacher as well as certified teaching assistants who have training in how to work with preschool learners who need extra support. FOP also has a team of school-based therapists who provide speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy for students whose deficits require related services along with a school psychologist, program coordinators, and a dedicated administrative staff.


Instruction & Curricula

For its curricular foundation, FOP utilizes a preschool, a play-based model called the Creative Curriculum. Within the Creative Curriculum, classrooms are structured to reflect the developmental continuum. Instruction is presented in a way that children feel safe and comfortable and, in time, become independent, confident learners. The Creative Curriculum focuses on child development, learning environments, content areas, defining the teacher role, and recognizing the family role, along with establishing specific “interest areas” in the classroom that have been shown to facilitate social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development (e.g. block area, water play, dramatic play area, etc.). The Creative Curriculum emphasizes small group instruction and rotations in order to provide the most effective, accessible instruction. Visual, auditory, and hands-on teaching are all aspects of the Creative Curriculum approach and provide the instructional tools needed to further child development.

FOP 0022

Teachers at FOP are also trained on a corresponding assessment system, Teaching Strategies Gold: Objectives for Development and Learning Assessment Tool, which allows them to accurately track children’s progress and identify areas that need further attention. To encourage the consistent development of all of the young learners, the teachers at FOP develop programming that specifically supports the children’s unique learning needs and respects their differences in ability, culture, and learning style.

At first I was doubtful that the school could even help her but her progress has been amazing! If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same.

Parent of a student at Francis of Paola Early Learning Center
FOP 0047

While all of the young learners are taught within the context of the Creative Curriculum, teachers create differentiated, developmentally-appropriate learning environments that allow each child to explore, understand, and complete constructive tasks at their own pace. FOP’s classrooms for students on the autism spectrum rely on the ABA model. Specifically, these classrooms use the STAR Program to develop curricular goals and encourage development in the essential domains across language, independence, and foundational skills.

FOP 0121 1

Some young learners at FOP, particularly those with autism or communication disorders, require alternate or augmentative means of communication while their speech and language skills develop. Technology, both advanced and simple, plays an important role in supporting these students. Strategies involving PECS, (Picture Exchange Communication System), iPads, assistive communication devices, SMARTboards, and computers are commonplace in the classrooms and help instructors create motivating, reachable content that facilitates student learning. The school recognizes the potential value of technology in helping many students acquire appropriate skills but is aware of the possible issues caused by relying too heavily on these technological strategies. Overall, FOP understands the relationship between early communication skills, literacy, and development, and aligns the appropriate support to encourage each child to achieve their individualized goals.

FOP 0066 300x199 1

To help develop the young learners’ civic awareness, appreciation of diversity, and community-based skills, teachers provide enrichment activities such as Music That Heals and presentations from community members that share their heritage, culture, and values, including visitations from the local police and fire departments. Through the support of the Parent-Teacher Organization, (PTO), students are able to apply skills learned in school to the community when they go on field trips to educational sites and city landmarks. FOP also acknowledges that healthy living and positive wellness habits are cultivated at a young age; therefore, the school occasionally holds nutrition workshops for the students and families and hosts an annual sports day at a nearby park. There is also a yearly dental clinic held in conjunction with New York University.

Weekly Schedule
The following is an example of a typical weekly schedule in our classrooms:
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
8:45Arrival – Activities of Daily Living
9:00English Language Arts and SpellingEnglish Language ArtsEnglish Language Arts and SpellingEnglish Language ArtsIndependent Work and Set Individual Schedules
9:30English Language Arts
10:00Literacy
11:00GYMMusicSocial StudiesGYMArt
11:30Social Studies
12:00Lunch
12:30MathMathSocial StudiesMathMath
1:30Science
2:00ScienceHealthScienceMediaMedia
2:30English Language ArtsEnglish Language ArtsMathEnglish Language ArtsMath
2:45Dismissal

Descriptions of Activities:

Morning Meeting: Students review schedules, weather, etc.

Table Top Activities: including Farmhouse and Farm Animals, Large Cardboard Blocks, Feeding/Fine Motor Skills, Magnetic Dress-Up Toys, Pipe Builders, ABC Tracing, Large Floor Math, with Cars, Mega Blocks

Small Group Work:

  • Fine Motor Skills: students practice tracing and cutting on wave lines
  • Motor Skills: students visit the school sensory and motor room to work on balance and other gross motor skills
  • Daily Living Skills: students work on feeding and other fine motor skills

Whole Group Activity: examples include Question of the Day – “What is your favorite sea animal?”, Show and Tell, and Musical Chairs

Community-based Learning: Teachers accompany children to nearby locations for experiential learning, games, exploration, and other community-based learning.

Indoor Choice Time: Kitchen / Social Skills, Puzzles / Mathematics, Computer / Technology, Water Table, Listening Center, Dramatic Play – Social Skills, Blocks – Mathematics, Trains – Social Skills

Outdoor Choice Time: Opportunities for individual choices are provided in the playground setting

Search AHRC NYC