Testimonials
Since 1978, our school has helped children and their families reach their full potential. After graduation, we stay in touch with our families and always appreciate updates about how their children are doing! Read what our alumni and their parents have to say about their experiences in our program.
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Alumnus Parent
Springboard has changed our lives entirely. Our son is now six and attends a mainstream school where is thriving and very much enjoying his friends. We brought this little guy in this world but this phenomenal team brought him to life! We will never find the right words to express our abundance of gratitude.
Alumnus Parent
To say you saved my fabulous daughter, Claire, is only half the story. You also saved me.
Alumnus
During my time in the program, I never felt there was anything I couldn’t accomplishI loved each and every one of my teachers, and my teachers loved me.
Alumnus Parent
Lois Mendelson guided us through every step of the way and and the staff could not have been more kind and compassionate. Fast forward 13 years and Chase is completing 10th grade. Chase is in all honors classes and is a straight A student on the highest honor roll. He has excelled in school and is very driven, focused and social.
Alumnus Parent
When we toured the program, my daughter seemed to sense this was a ‘good place.’ While she wasn’t very verbal at that point, you could tell by her body language that she felt at home. We ended up moving to NJ to attend the program, convinced it was our best chance to make a difference in our child’s future. We were right.
Alumnus
I attended the program when I was little, and I don't know where I'd be in life had that not happened. It changed my life by helping me learn how to interact with people and learn all the necessary social skills I'd otherwise lack. Over the years, I've made friends, participated in (and occasionally won) some academic competitions, and even got into one of the country's best high schools. It’s all thanks to the Nursery.
Alumnus Parent
Our son, Spencer, attended this program when it was in its former home [at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades]. Neither we, nor he, can ever have enough gratitude for all that it gave us. At three, we wondered whether he would ever be able to master the complexities of the world around him. By five, when he graduated the program, we had every reason to believe he would. He is now 15 and the foundation we all got from this program was irreplaceable—not only in teaching him skills and strategies but in having a support system like none other I have seen or heard of.
Alumnus Parent
Lois and her staff were unbelievable in their knowledge, skills and support. They empowered Connor, his siblings, and me to become advocates not only for him, but for others. I know one of the most powerful gifts we were given was that of hope.
Alumnus Parent
We, as parents, would not be where we are today, and Eitan, as an individual would not have achieved as much, if we had not been lucky enough to attend the program. We will be forever grateful to Lois and her amazing team.
Alumnus Parent
The program was life-changing for us and for our family—the teachers and therapists are passionate about what they do, are caring, and knowledgable—they saw his potential, worked on his strengths and believed in him. We often wonder what the outcome would have been had we not enrolled him. We will always be indebted to Lois and [the Springboard School] for the gift of giving our son the support he needed early on to build a productive and successful future.
Alumnus Parent
The [Springboard] team gave my family consistency, honest feedback, practical advice, exceptional modeling, an opportunity to talk with others who get it, and a safe place where meltdowns were considered learning opportunities.
Alumnus
All the teachers taught me how to cope with situations and express my feelings so well. Ever since then, I mainstreamed, and have been achieving tech dreams, and achieving what I want and what I like, such as: editor of my school newspaper, dancing on two competitive hip-hop teams, playing clarinet in my school band, singing with my school chorus and chamber choir, and earning a high red belt in Tae Kwon Do. But if it wasn’t for [Springboard], there is no way I would be who I am today. And I deserve to be proud to have graduated from the school and always will be.
Alumnus Parent
We are so grateful to the Therapeutic Nursery (now The Springboard School) for giving Josh the foundation he needed to be successful when he needed it most. And of course, for the scholarship money without which none of this would have been possible. I really don't want to think about what would have happened if he couldn't go there. This program saved his life.
Alumnus Parent
The Nursery was a graduate school in learning how to help our daughter, giving me and my husband the support we needed at a crucial time in Sol's young life.
Alumnus
Although I don’t remember emerging out of my shell, I know that I do love public speaking. There’s no way I would be as far along as I am without having
had the early intervention at
the Nursery.
Alumnus Parent
Today, her out of control behaviors at home have been reduced, she participates in social activities with pleasure, and she speaks regularly in the classroom with peers and teachers. Her transformation has been beautiful, uplifting and inspirational.
Alumnus Parent
We would like to thank [the Springboard School] therapists, teachers, staff, and supporters for creating a space where our family is understood. We are inspired each day by the hours and tremendous effort dedicated to all the children and families who participate in this very special program.
Alumnus
I went from one of the most locked in kids ever to the one of the most enthusiastic. There is seriously nobody else in the
entire world that could have
done that but Lois.
Alumnus Parent
The multi-disciplinary staff is not only caring and nurturing but exceptionally professional, knowledgable, and dedicated. There was never a problem they could not address, never a question they could not answer, never a moment they would not spare for us. The gave him the language and skills he needed to get through daily life. They gave us the tools we needed to raise him.
Alumnus Parent
Our experience at The Springboard School has been extraordinary. Within the first week, we started to see Joey’s transformation from surviving everyday life, to enjoying, learning, and thriving. Every member of the highly skilled team is dedicated to each child’s growth and to supporting and empowering parents. Lois Mendelson, the director, is exceptional. She listened to every challenge big and small, compassionately guided us, and provided us with a wealth of tools that work. We are forever grateful to The Springboard School for understanding Joey, for helping him understand himself, for equipping him with critical foundational skills, and for inspiring confidence and hope.
Alumnus
The Nursery helped me overcome these challenges, slowly but surely, and reminded me daily that I was not alone. The skills and games that I practiced demonstrated time and again that with the right approach and the right support there wasn’t much that couldn't be tackled in the long run. The two and a half years at the Nursery proved essential to my academic success.