The Department of Learning and Counseling consists of a Learning Consultant, a Learning Specialist, three Reading Specialists and three Counselors. We work directly with children, parents, teachers, and administrators to promote healthy social-emotional development and academic success in all students.  Our goals are to develop and support a life-long love of learning, promote self-advocacy, and provide instruction, strategies and developmental guidance to assist all children. The learning support staff provide direct services to children, and work with teachers to develop teaching/learning strategies. We help families understand and support their child’s learning profile. Counselors provide support and guidance for children and parents not only in crisis, but also in the face of everyday parenting dilemmas and family difficulties. With parents as partners, we work to promote optimal social, emotional, cognitive and academic development in all Lab School students.

Learning support staff:

• partners with teachers, parents, and administers to help students learn in the best way possible 
• collaborates closely with counseling staff
• addresses individual student academic and emotional concerns through group problem solving
• provides in-class instruction for students, and guidance and coaching of teachers 
• consults with outside diagnosticians, tutors, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists 
• conducts diagnostic screenings to pinpoint students strengths and challenges and define approaches to instruction 
• educates the Lab School community about best practices in differentiating instruction and teaching students with learning differences 
• provides small group, prescriptive, instruction in reading, writing, and math for lower school students

Counselors:

• work closely with teachers, parents, learning support staff, and administrators to understand and address the particular social and emotional needs of individual children.
• follow a group of students throughout their stay in each division of the school.
• regularly observe and interact with students in classrooms.
• meet with individual children and small groups to address problems.
• facilitate Banana Splits groups at each grade level for children whose parents are not living together.
• sponsor an Adoptive Parents Discussion Group.
• offer other groups when appropriate.
• facilitate referrals to, and coordinate services with outside resources.
• meet regularly with parents to provide support and guidance