Childbridge center for education | therapeutic day school
Welcome to ChildBridge Center for Education, Little City’s therapeutic day school! The school provides progressive services for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as, students with severe and profound needs on the autism spectrum. This day school will “bridge” education and each child’s developmental abilities enabling them to reach their fullest potential. A typical day for each student will include a host of activities outside of the classroom offered throughout Little City’s 56-acre, therapeutic campus.
The ChildBridge Center for Education, accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education, collaborates with each child’s home school district and develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that provides personalized therapies and intervention services to address the student’s unique educational needs.
Our aim is to complement and supplement the continuum of educational offerings presently available to children and families...at Little City we actively promote and provide choice.
The Classroom
Little City provides integrated life skills, academic, clinical and transitional services to help children reach their full potential.
Classes are small sized with a teacher and instructional support staff for elementary and middle school. They are self-contained, offering academic, functional academic, life skills and transitional programming according to individual student needs.
Students are grouped in age appropriate classes with no more than a four-year span in any one group.
While taking advantage of available community resources, we also make full use of recreational, therapeutic, and support service options stationed across our spacious campus.
We provide computer-based training, assistive technology devices, augmentative communication therapies (such as PECs, Sign Language, etc.) in addition to a Specialized Playground a unique recreation center (including a Fitness Center with equipment designed for individuals with disabilities, game rooms, a swimming pool with wheel-chair lift), gymnasium, a specialized on-site Medical and Dental Center (the first of its kind in the Midwest) as well as a gamut of other leading-edge services.
- Social Recreation Therapy
- Vocational Services
- Music Therapy
- Career Training
- Independent Living Skills
- Art Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Social Skills Training
- Physical Education
- Community Inclusion and Integration
- Assistive and Adaptive Technology including Augmentative Communication Devices
- Transition Programming
- Adaptive Aquatics
- Sensory Integration Assessment
Click here to read the Center for Education Newsletter for the latest news on the day school.
About the School Administrator | Karoline Dean
“I feel privileged to be part of a great team of collaborators working toward providing the best education possible for individuals with disabilities."
Karrie’s professional experience includes a range of educational settings spanning 10 years. She has experience as a seventh grade special needs resource teacher, primary intellectual functioning and adaptive skills interventionist, junior high cross-categorical teacher and an intermediate cross-categorical teacher.
Within this position, Karrie will provide daily support to Little City’s therapeutic day school. In addition, she will continue to focus on the expansion of the school and recruitment for new students.
Karrie has a Master’s degree in School Leadership from Concordia University, Type 75 Administration Certificate and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Northern Illinois University with certifications in Standard Elementary Teaching and Standard Secondary Teaching. She also has endorsements as a Learning Behavior Specialist 1.
Contact Info:
Karrie Dean
847-221-7728
Learn More!
Contact Admissions & Transitions at (847) 221-7859 or school@littlecity.org.