Specialized services: VCLC set to open at Bellerose Avenue Elementary this summer

Variety Child Learning Center (VCLC), a nonprofit organization providing specialized services to children from six weeks to eight years of age, announced yesterday that it is fully on track to open its facility at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School in the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District this summer. 

In July, VCLC will be opening preschool classes for 3- and 4-year-olds with special needs. These special education classes are taught by master’s-degree-level early childhood special education teachers. Related services, including speech, occupational and physical therapies, will also be available, as will child and parent therapy as provided by licensed social workers.

Come September, the school will begin universal pre-kindergarten classes in collaboration with the Northport-East Northport school district. There will be both general education classes as well as integrated classes (special class in an integrated setting, or “SCIS”). 

VCLC is now one of four full-day UPK providers for the Northport-East Northport district for the school year beginning in September 2025. 

“We are excited to support children with special needs and their families in western Suffolk County. Our offerings will include expert and compassionate services that have been the hallmark of VCLC since our founding in 1966,” said Janet Koch, CEO of VCLC. “We look forward to nurturing young learners as they begin their educational journey.”

All of VCLC’s programs and services are provided by a combination of New York State- licensed and certified teachers, therapists and administrators, Koch added. 

While at Variety, students will have the opportunity for indoor and outdoor play and will participate in various specials and performances in music, dance movement, art and technology. Each classroom is outfitted with state-of-the-art technology for interactive learning; a typical daily schedule will include learning centers and opportunities for social interaction.  

VCLC’s curriculum adheres to the New York State Department of Education’s Pre-Kindergarten Next Generation Learning Standards, emphasizing reading, mathematics, science, social studies and social-emotional development in a setting that fosters and nurtures natural-environment learning opportunities for all children, according to a press release from the organization. 

Variety Child has schools in Syosset and Levittown, in Nassau County. For more information about the Northport-East Northport location’s specialized educational offerings, email info@vclc.org.

The lease agreement between the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District and Variety Child Learning Center for areas of Bellerose Avenue Elementary School was signed by both parties last September. The lease term begins on July 1, 2025 and ends on June 30, 2035. For details on the lease agreement as reported by the Journal in September 2024, click here.