Established 1970 Phone +1 508-879-5110 Founded 1970 | Founder Warren Schwab Mascot Galloping Ghosts Color Blue, White and Black | |
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Type Private, publicly funded President Judith Vreeland, Executive Director Grades Infants through High School Accreditation The Learning Center for the Deaf is accredited by:
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC),
The Conference of Educational Administrators of
Schools and programs for the Deaf (CEASD)
The Council on Accreditation (COA).
The Learning Center for the Deaf is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA) and the Department of Early Education and Care (MA). Address 848 Central St, Framingham, MA 01701, USA Motto "Competence, Character, and Community" Similar Framingh State University, Sudbury Valley School, Christa Mcauliffe Center, Marian High School, Summit Montessori School Profiles | ||
The learning center for the deaf
The Learning Center for the Deaf (TLC) is a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children located on 14 acres in Framingham, Massachusetts. TLC offers a challenging program of academic excellence for deaf and hard of hearing students from infancy through high school, while also serving students who have different mental and emotional challenges. The Learning Center's curriculum fosters knowledge and respect for both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, a bilingual education, and for Deaf American and hearing cultures.
Contents
- The learning center for the deaf
- History
- Philosophy
- Framingham Campus
- Walden School
- Randolph Campus
- Community services
- References
TLC consisted of 3 separate campuses located in Massachusetts: the main campus in Framingham, Massachusetts, the Walden campus, and the Randolph campus, which is no longer open.
TLC not only serves students educationally but provides different services that help students grow in all aspects of their lives. While supporting the children, TLC also provides support to the communities surrounding it by offering ASL classes, instruction to other schools, interpreting services, as well much more. The goal of TLC is to provide a way for students to excel to the best they can possibly be in a place where language is vital to communication. The mission of TLC includes, "competence, character, and community."
History
Established in 1970 as The Learning Center for Deaf Children, The Learning Center was the first school for the deaf in Massachusetts to depart from the "oral method" of education and to advocate the use of signs in addition to spoken English. During the 1970s the school created a student-centered curriculum with "open classroom" formats. An initial enrollment of 22 students quickly grew and the school expanded: in 1974 with the addition of a preschool program, in 1978 with the establishment of a special needs program for deaf children who have cognitive or behavior disabilities, and in 1979 with the addition of a parent-infant program, one of the first programs to provide deaf infants exposure to signs in addition to spoken English and to offer parents instruction in the use of signs. A high school began in 1980 and a group residence for high school students began the following year. In 1987, The Learning Center opened "Walden House", a comprehensive residential treatment program for deaf youth between the ages of 8 and 21 years who are challenged by severe social and emotional difficulties. A new facility for these students was completed and occupied in December 1995 with a capacity of 30 students and is now called Walden School. In 1994, The Learning Center opened a satellite campus (preschool–elementary program) in Randolph, Massachusetts. In July 2011, after seventeen years, this campus closed and services were consolidated on the main campus. On July 1, 2007, the school legally changed its name to The Learning Center for the Deaf.
Philosophy
The Learning Center continues to be at the forefront of Deaf Education as it addresses issues of language and culture at the school. In 1988, The Learning Center made a commitment to become a Bilingual Bicultural school emphasizing both American Sign Language and English along with Deaf culture and other American cultures. American Sign Language is the primary language in the classroom and on campus; English is taught as a second language. In 1989 The Learning Center became the first school for the deaf in the U.S. with a Deaf Parent Infant Coordinator. Deaf role models are an integral part of the academic environment. The philosophical commitment to a Bilingual School represents a shift in power in deaf education and an attempt to bring together the combined strengths of deaf and hearing professionals, parents and the Deaf community and students to create an empowering learning environment.
Framingham Campus
The main campus of The Learning Center is located in Framingham, Massachusetts situated between Central St, Prospect St, and Kellogg St just north of Route 9. The campus includes 14 buildings, 2 swimming pools, an athletic field, a gymnasium, an outdoor playground.
Walden School
The Walden School is a building and program located on The Learning Center’s campus that provides housing, support, and educational services for Deaf students between ages 8 to 22 who may be affected behavioral and emotional disabilities. Services provided are supportive and student-centered. The Walden School offers school-calendar and 12 month residential services, as well as an option for day programming only. Walden School is now the only accredited residential treatment program in the United States.
Randolph Campus
After seventeen years, the Randolph Campus closed at the end of the 2010/2011 academic year.