11 classrooms, 6 therapy departments including a clinic, a handful of offices, 90-something team members, and more than 100 students and their families – clearly there’s no ONE story here at Crossroads Center for Children. Indeed we have a myriad of stories, which are woven together and grow to make a whole series all with a common theme of learning skills that are socially significant in the world we are in.
We understand that the work we do can be challenging at times, but we are dedicated to helping the kids we serve reach their full potential. Every child is unique, and we recognize that their progress may not always be linear or immediate. However, we believe that with our highly individualized programming, combined with patience, persistence, and compassion we can make a real difference in their lives. We are committed to providing the highest quality care and services, and we are constantly working to improve and innovate. Our passion for helping kids is what drives us every day, and we are grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in their lives.
While every class and department has a page with their own stories, this blog spot covers all sorts of stories of learning that include everyone. School-wide events and activities that everyone has the opportunity to engage in.
Fun With Reading!
2/19/2025 by Jacee Leight
Rooms 3 and 7 enjoyed a magical story recently! We are so thankful for the weekly stories with Kathy.
We have a library full of books that the children can read and enjoy. It is clear that the kids enjoy a good story. Kathy creates such a fun environment that makes the story come alive by using different voices to portray each character.
Using different voices for different characters helps children better understand the story by being able to distinguish between characters and can enhance engagement.
Listening to Kathy use expressive reading helps our children here to learn how to use their own voice to convey different emotions and meanings when they read!
Lunar New Year Assembly Brings Joy and Excitement! 2/7/2025
This afternoon, our school was filled with energy and excitement as we came together for a special assembly to celebrate Lunar New Year! We were honored to welcome two talented brothers from a local school, along with their mother, who performed a stunning dragon dance for our students.
These young performers have embraced the traditional art of the Chinese dragon dance, and today, they brought their skills to life as the lion dragon. The rhythmic drumming, vibrant movements, and colorful display captivated everyone in the room. Our students were completely mesmerized, watching in awe as the dragon weaved through the space, bringing luck and joy to the celebration.
It wasn’t just the students who were thrilled—our staff was just as excited to witness this cultural tradition firsthand. The Lunar New Year assembly was a beautiful way to introduce our students to this rich and meaningful tradition, making it a truly special day for all.
We are so grateful to our guest performers for sharing their talents with us and helping to make our celebration so memorable!
12.19.2024 Spirit Week here has been so much fun! We have festively dressed each day this week sparking laughter and good cheer; see our full gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.994984475996386&type=3
We also enjoyed Santa, Elf, and Sam Bailey visiting in each classroom this week, and a Sing Along with dancing and jingling.
Staff have been secret-santa-ing for each other too! It is a busy week full of the love and comradery that our organization is proud to share.
12.4.24 Yesterday, on Giving Tuesday, we had a special treat in our newly opened library! Phyllis, a retired teacher and volunteer, spent the day reading to our students. It was our very first time using the library after weeks of careful setup in our new building.
Seven classrooms had the chance to visit, one at a time, to enjoy Phyllis’s engaging storytelling. The children were curious and excited about the new space—though a little wiggly at first! With more visits and practice, we’re confident their library behaviors will grow beautifully by the end of the year.
We’re so grateful to Phyllis for volunteering her time and helping us make the first library day so special. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Giving Tuesday and showcase how our new space will enrich our students’ learning experiences.
Bender’s Butterfly Science. 5.31.24
As much as individual programs are important for our students, so are school-wide programs that connect the kids to others and give them access to learning that is typically experienced by their public school counterparts.
Like lifecycles for example. Like BUTTERFLY lifecycles to be specific.
This is the 4th consecutive year that we have had a school-wide butterfly unit here at Crossroads, thanks to grant support from the Bender Science Fund of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region. While previously, there were individual classrooms that engaged in the project of raising butterflies from caterpillars in different years, this partner has made it possible for all of our classes and clinic to enjoy this incredible project. So, again this year, each class and the clinic got a container of caterpillars, which they were able to observe and learn about as they ate and grew, formed chrysalises and finally emerged as beautiful painted lady butterflies. After a period of at least 3 days to watch them in their habitat tents with fresh fruit to eat, the butterflies are released in our butterfly garden, and our young learners are always amazed to see them fly. This year’s class of Bender butterflies is in progress. Some are still in the caterpillar stage, while others have already been released. Enjoy the pictures, which will be added to here.
You might recall that a few weeks back, with the help of volunteers from DEC, we relocated most of our butterfly garden, “Bender’s Butterfly Science Garden,” to our new site, while planting was in season. However, we did leave some of the plants here at N. Westcott for this year’s release.
Bender’s Butterflies will fly again!
Healthy Food Program. More than just healthy food! 3.13.24
Room 13 & 14 have been teaming up for their Healthy Food Program, and their activities are always fun, interesting, and helpful in their students’ acceptance and trying of new foods. In line with a March St. Patty’s theme, they recently made shamrock shakes, using simple ingredients and one loud blender. This project addressed aversions to temperature, texture, and also to loud sounds. For some students getting used to a non-preference is a big part of the process before tolerating or trying it. This activity, while challenging for some, was a hit with some of the friends in the group.