Centro de Aprendizaje del Niño (CAN)
The Centro de Aprendizaje del Niño was established in 2011 as a specialized center to care for children on the autism spectrum. It has expanded its services to care for children with other diagnoses such as sensory, learning, language, and/or social communication problems.
Its program strengthens and stimulates language areas using Montessori programs, and therapeutic models such as PECS. The Montessori pedagogy is recognized worldwide for achieving a child's comprehensive, intellectual, social, and spiritual development. All our participants have a diagnosis such as level 1 or 2 autism spectrum disorder, sensory problems, learning problems, language disorders, and/or social communication disorder, so the Montessori method is beneficial since it does not impose standardized learning parameters, but rather allows each child to learn at their own pace.
Located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since the three major interruptions that education suffered in Puerto Rico (the passage of Irma and María, the earthquake that affected the southwestern area, and the arrival of COVID-19), we have seen an increase in the volume of referrals, inquiries, and concerns from parents, in search of educational and therapeutic alternatives that meet the needs of their children. Among the difficulties that we have noticed, we can mention the following: (1) socialization and interpersonal relationship problems, (2) moderate to severe learning lags, (3) difficulties in mechanical writing, perceptual and visual skills that prevent the start of reading and (4) communication problems with classmates, difficulty following and understanding instructions, among others. This scenario generated the need to expand our physical plant, for which we already began the construction of an annex of 14,297 feet2. This annex will contain the Centro de Aprendizaje del Niño on the entire first level with space for an enrollment of 120 children vs. its current maximum capacity of 50 children.
MGGF is awarding CAN a grant to help them acquire the needed Montessori classroom materials for their new annex. Your gift will further the positive impact CAN has on children with special needs.
