The Adventures of LightHouse Little Learners! Our Story Begins Here…
Greater independence and engagement in the world are the aims of LightHouse Little Learners.
Working with their families, the program is designed to help young children, birth to age three, who are blind, DeafBlind, have low vision or neurological visual impairment, or whose developmental delays include blindness or low vision.
Neurological Visual Impairment is also known as Cerebral Visual Impairment, or CVI, a brain-based visual condition which influences a child’s ability to process visual information. CVI is the most frequent cause of visual impairment during childhood in industrialized countries, including the United States.
Early childhood services for children, three to six years of age, will soon grow within the LightHouse Little Learners Program to bring preschool age children and their families together to share their experiences, learn from each other, have fun and make friends. Through these gatherings, the preschool program will support and build on specialized services available through school districts and county offices of education.
It is widely considered that up to 80% of a child’s early learning comes through vision, and because infants and toddlers learn by watching and imitating others during daily activities, blindness or low vision can impact their development in myriad ways. To have their best start in life, young children who are blind or have low vision and their families benefit from specialized intervention at this early age.
When a specialist in blindness and low vision partners with the family to enjoy all aspects of the child’s development, and at the same time the child explores the world more freely through hands-on activities and adventure, the path to accessibility and possibility goes beyond the diagnosis, and unfolds in spectacular ways.
LightHouse Little Learners expert staff will walk alongside families on this path.
LightHouse Little Learners Program is grounded in the philosophy of infant and family mental health, which supports the child’s developing capacity to form close relationships, and experience, regulate, and express emotions in the context of family and community.
Fun for Families and Children, Birth to 3 Years of Age
In the natural environment of the home and community highly qualified specialists use early intervention best practices by listening to the family’s priorities and concerns and providing information and resources in ways that match the family’s learning style. Following the family’s lead while demonstrating adaptations to an activity, or providing an instructional video or materials in the family’s preferred language are among many examples of partnering with families.
Based on their child’s individual developmental level, LightHouse Little Learners’ families tap in to an array of other skilled LightHouse staff. The infants and toddlers discover ways to explore their surroundings with Orientation and Mobility specialists, engage their hands and fingers in pre-Braille tactile activities with trained instructors, and start as early as needed with Accessible/Assistive Technology.
Imagine the hope that will be shared through these partnerships!
LightHouse Little Learners Program Services
Highly-qualified Specialists
During home visits, our Specialists in early childhood blindness and low vision provide parent education in order to guide families/caregivers in their understanding of how blindness or low vision influences their child’s early development. The family and specialists are full members of each child’s Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) Team.
Home Visits
The home visit is the heart of The LightHouse Little Learners Program. The approach is family-centered, play-based, and culturally-responsive. During visits the specialists support the parent/child relationship, listen and respond to each family’s priorities and concerns, and suggest community resources to benefit the whole family and the child.
The Assessment Process
At the start of LightHouse Little Learners services, the process of learning about each child’s development and learning style begins through observing the child at home and in the community. The assessment process may also include:
- Interviewing the parents or caregivers about their child’s development in order to plan next steps
- Review of medical records
- Use of developmental assessments designed for young children who are blind or have low vision.
Specialized Approaches
Our Specialists in early childhood blindness and low vision believe the family is the best and first teacher of the child. They join the parent or caregiver in everyday activities to encourage early literacy and pre-Braille awareness based on each child and family’s needs.
They support early concept development by encouraging the child’s inclusion in family activities, such as naming noises and voices around the house, labeling furniture and objects in Braille, and including the child in step-by-step daily routines such as preparation for bath or meal time.
Our Specialists may also introduce:
- Active Learning, a philosophy of Danish Educator, Lilli Nielsen to encourage the child’s growth toward independence.
- Accessible and Assistive Technology into daily life, based on individual needs.
Parent Education
Whether at home or with other families in a happy gathering place such as a park or playground, families come together to learn from one another and have fun, while building community through deeper, long-lasting relationships.
Families learn advocacy skills as they seek the best pediatric vision care for their child, and access services and resources in medical, social and educational settings.
Medical Visit Partnership
The doctor, the family and the Early Childhood Blind and Low Vision Specialist form a strong team when they meet and share key information about the child during important medical appointments. Doctors increase their knowledge of community resources for families of children who are blind or have low vision; parents and caregivers are prepared with questions for the physician, and the specialist takes notes and joins the family in incorporating treatment recommendations into daily life.
Community Outreach
Little Learners staff will regularly reach out to the medical community, early intervention programs for children with disabilities, and to local service organizations in order to identify families who may be in need of LightHouse Little Learners’ services.
Service Locations and Community Gatherings
LightHouse Little Learners’ services will be available in several northern and central California counties, including those counties where LightHouse currently serves the community: Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, Napa and San Francisco.
In addition to LightHouse’s San Francisco headquarters, and when permitted according to local health and safety guidelines, families will come together in a variety of locations, including the organization’s satellite locations in Alameda, Contra Costa and Humboldt Counties.
Families will also be welcomed for regular Family Weekends in the natural beauty of LightHouse’s Enchanted Hills Camp (EHC) in the hills of Napa. EHC has recently expanded with new facilities and outdoor spaces to encourage adventure, to foster long-lasting family friendships and to enhance each child’s independence.
Getting to Know You:
Make an Inquiry
LightHouse Little Learners Early Childhood Program welcomes inquiries from:
- Parents and other family members
- Regional centers
- Local Education Agency (LEA)
- Medical or education professionals
- Discharge nurses and social workers
- Community agencies
- Therapists
For more information about LightHouse Little Learners Program, serving families of young children birth to three years of age who are blind, DeafBlind, have low vision or neurological visual impairment or whose developmental delays include blindness or low vision, please contact:
LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters:
Phone: 415-694-7657
FAX: 415-968-0292
Video Phone: 415-255-5906
Make an Inquiry
Little Learners Resources
FAQs
Who is eligible for LightHouse Little Learners services?
LightHouse Little Learners serves families of infants, birth to three years of age, who are blind or have low vision, are DeafBlind, have neurological visual impairment, such as Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI); or whose developmental delays include blindness or low vision.
Cerebral Visual Impairment, also known as CVI, is the most frequent cause of visual impairment during childhood in industrialized countries, including the United States.
- CVI refers to damage to the visual brain that leads to disordered vision and/or disordered visual perception of any type or severity. Eyes may be fine.
- Each young child who has a CVI diagnosis may have very different characteristics from another.
- A child with CVI served by LightHouse Little Learners may have reduced visual acuity, difficulty picking out an object or person within a busy visual background, face recognition may be absent; the child may also have reduced contrast sensitivity or color perception. Visually guided movement may be affected, such as inaccurate reach, as well as difficulty with spatial awareness or how the child positions themselves in space.
What services does LightHouse Little Learners provide?
LightHouse Little Learners is a home-based, family-centered early intervention program provided in the family’s home and community.
Specialists in blindness and low vision provide information about the child’s visual diagnosis and partners with the family to adapt play-based activities and daily routines to encourage the child to participate at their level.
Services are provided in-person when permitted and/or by video tele-practice such as Zoom.
If the child attends daycare or an early intervention program, Little Learners Specialists will consult with the program staff so the child can take part as fully as possible in daily routines and activities.
Specialists accompany families during the child’s important medical appointments (such as pediatric ophthalmology and neurology visits) when needed.
The LightHouse Little Learners Specialist is a full member of the child’s Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) Team.
What counties are served by LightHouse Little Learners?
LightHouse Little Learners Program plans to offer services throughout northern and central California.
Please inquire if LightHouse Little Learners Program has services in your area.
Is there a cost to families for LightHouse Little Learner services?
There is no cost to families for LightHouse Little Learners Program services.
LLL participates in the California Early Start system and is a vendor for the Regional Center which provides funding to agencies that provide services to families of children who are eligible.
In the future, LLL will receive funding for services to families of children, birth to three years of age, who are eligible for services from Local Education Agencies such as school districts or county offices of education.
Where can I find more information and make an inquiry about LightHouse Little Learners?
We welcome your inquiries by phone:
Direct dial number: 415 694 7657
Video Phone: 415 255 5906
By email: littlelearners@lighthouse-sf.org
Policies and Procedures
It is LightHouse’s responsibility to be aware of and follow the applicable laws and regulations and alert our students and the public to policies and procedures that impact LightHouse Little Learners’ services to our students and the community.
As a vendor of Golden Gate Regional Center, LightHouse Little Learners Early Intervention Program has a duty to comply with many requirements.
Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC) is a state-funded nonprofit organization providing service to individuals with developmental disabilities in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties.
As outlined in Golden Gate Regional Center’s Vendor Requirements document (Revised 2018):
# 20. Website – LightHouse Little Learners Program is required to post, in clear view, a link to the Department of Developmental Services’ telephone number (918-654-1987) and Appeals, Complaints and Comments website. (WIC §4704.6)
We wish to acknowledge our generous Institutional Donors
- Ability Central
- Apple, Inc.
- Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Foundation
- California State Coastal Conservancy
- City and County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health
- City and County of San Francisco, Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD)
- Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation
- Comerica Bank
- Consumer Technology Association Foundation
- Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation
- Delong-Sweet Family Foundation
- Delta Gamma Foundation
- Harvey Family Foundation
- Honda USA Foundation
- Maximus Foundation
- Mr. and Mrs. G. Kirk Swingle Foundation
- National Industries for the Blind
- Rainbow Sandals Foundation
- Robert and Helen Odell Fund
- SCAN Health Plan
- San Francisco Public Health Foundation
- Senior Assistance Foundation of Eastbay (SAFE)
- State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission
- State of California, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- State of California, Department of Rehabilitation
- The Annunziata Sanguinetti Foundation
- The Guardsmen
- The Herbst Foundation
- The Moca Foundation
- The Peninsula Endowment
- The Safeway Foundation
- Uber Technologies, Inc.
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Walter and Elise Haas Fund