Carriage House Preschool Program River Valley Speech & Language

Hooray! We have been waiting a long time to be able to say this...both Hopewell and Poughkeepsie sites will be offering in person services as of this week. Hopewell is now ready with important COVID precautions in place and we are eager to welcome back our kids! If you would like to reach us our phone line is back up too at 845-223-5113. Both locations are now able to offer in person, online and hybrid services!

Dear Families,
As many of you know our Poughkeepsie site has successfully gone live two days per week for weeks now. Thank you to Lonnie, Dustin, Diana and Jules for making this possible and taking such good care to be sure every precaution is taken. The kids are in cohorts and work in very small groups to assure safety comes first. We will be posting pictures soon. The kids have been amazing about wearing their masks as needed and following rules. They seem very happy to be onsite. It is our hope that we can add additional live sessions soon for those who want a hybrid situation. A number of staff received their first vaccination and will receive their second soon. Thank you to all of our families who have worked with us to support the kids. You have done more than anyone could have hoped to make the impossible happen. If you are new and are looking for information concerning our program please email me at KC.PHILLIPS@RIVERVALLEYSPEECH. This is the easiest way to get in touch.
Thanks to all, Kathleen

Dear Families and Friends,
As those of you who are coming to us in September know already we are going to continue remote services for the month of September. This wasn't an easy decision, but given the current uncertainties of school openings, schedules and an everchanging situation we feel this is best for the health and well being of children, families and staff. During this month we will be making some changes to our facility and our procedures so we can provide the best services possible. We know staying remote isn't the best choice for everyone, but we hope you understand. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and we hope everyone is together soon!

Dear Families and Friends,
As school districts begin to post their plans for September I know many of you are wondering what will be happening at Carriage House. As before, we are under the direction of the County and NYS for preschool speech services. So far there has not been guidance about what related services will look like in the Fall. I can tell you that we will continue online services for those who want to access services that way. Please let us know if you have need for equipment at home and we will try to help out as best we can. As for face to face services we know that we will need to make changes to include social distancing and mask wearing. How this will fit into our current model will be determined by whatever further direction we receive from the State, the County and the school districts. Right now a district must determine how services will be provided. That's a lot of moving parts, but we are hopeful there will be some form of face to face services for those who want them that will be safe and meaningful for all involved.
Looking ahead, we may also offer a face to face small group experience to support early elementary students as the school district plans become clearer for this group. If you have any interest in school age learning to either support home schooling or your child's online learning for K-3 email me at [email protected] If there is sufficient interest we will investigate the possibilities. Thank you for all you have done to support your children and our staff through this unique time! Please let us know if you we can help! Kathleen

Good Morning Everyone,
Thank you to all of our families for supporting your kids and participating in the online services. I know there are many questions about summer services and what will happen in the Fall. So far we do not have any information about when and how we will return, but we know we will adapt to whatever is required. The County Executive Marc Molinaro is supporting the return to services and is seeking the Governor's support. We know some of you may be hoping for onsite services, some prefer to continue online services, some would like both. Our plan is to accommodate everyone safely and in the best way for families, kids and staff knowing we will have to make changes. Other than that we will provide details as soon as we know them. I thought you might be interested in a letter the County Executive has sent the Governor which makes clear the County position. We will let you know when there is a response. Other than that we hope everyone is staying well and enjoying the outdoors! Best to All!

We couldn’t be prouder of our families, kids and staff who have managed to make the impossible happen! One day we were all together doing what we always do when suddenly and unbelievably we found ourselves face to face figuring out how to work with kids on screens. A sincere thank you to all the families and staff who have managed to find a way for the kids to continue to learn in the middle of all that is going on. Be well...you are all awesome!

Hi Everyone,
We are up and running! If you haven't already done so please check your email for the County permission forms which we need in order to resume services for your child. Once the forms are received we will contact you to get things going. Lonnie, Alex, Lisa and the rest of the staff are eager to connect with the kids online and let's get talking again!

Dear Families,
Tonight I can finally say the State Education Department today (yes, Saturday) sent some guidance allowing for teleservices as well as other ways of providing services for kids. We will still have to wait for Dutchess County to give the green light, but this is big progress and we are hopeful the services for kids will be up and running soon. We will most likely require permission forms and other paperwork but those are all details which we should hear about soon. Hoping everyone is well and making it through so much together time! Best to everyone! Kathleen

Hi All,
I feel like we keep having to report the same thing...no progress in providing either virtual learning or any other type of learning. Services are still on hold here. We keep thinking it is "any day now..." but things are still in the waiting stage. I am asking Lisa and Alex to at least get in touch and say hi. I know Lonnie has been sending out messages. It is only the beginning of week 2 and everyone is feeling the stress. I will post any break throughs as soon as I get them Please stay well! Kathleen

Hi Families,
We hope everyone is managing during this crazy time! We want to update you on the current situation. I wish we had better news, but the County still has not authorized the resumption of Preschool related services and still will not permit virtual visits. Not much progress but we are still working hard to make this happen. For now Wappingers is using these two weeks as Spring Break and "give back" snow days. Since we follow the Wappingers calendar we would have been required to be closed anyway for these two weeks. I know that is small comfort when you are stuck at home with no services but we are trying hard to make things happen as soon as possible. Please stay in touch and let us know how you are all doing! We wish we could just get back to working with the kids. Best to all! Kathleen