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Mazel
Toy!
50
DRUMMER
Preschoolers who don't fit into a traditional
classroom find a haven at the Village.
DIANA LIEBERMAN
Staff Writer
ulia Libcke was at her wit's
end. Her son, a 4-year-old
she knew to be bright and
inquisitive, was failing pre-
school, and the frequent reprimands
were starting to have a negative
effect on his self-esteem — not to
mention what the situation was
doing to her peace of mind.
"Compliance is a big thing in tra-
ditional preschools," she says. 'And
that was exactly where he had prob-
lems."
"I saw a small ad; it started
`Trouble in Preschool?'" she remem-
bers. "It was like a sign from God."
The ad Libcke saw, more than
four years ago, was placed by the
Village-Educational Center, a non-
profit therapeutic preschool
designed specifically for children like
her son.
Now in its fifth year, the Beverly
Hills-based school was founded by
child psychologist Dr. Ira Glovinsky
of Ann Arbor, a nationally known
educator, clinician, author and
researcher.
Dr. Glovinsky continues as clini-
cal director of the school, leading a
staff that also consists of speech and
occupational therapists, psycholo-
gists and social workers. A neuro-
developmental pediatrician and neu-
rologist work with the school as con-
sultants. From Dr. Glovinsky on
down, all are volunteering their time
due to a temporary shortage of
funds.
Village student Tyler Woolman, 4'/2,
of West Bloomfield.
The paid staff consists of educa-
tional director Marsha Mitnick of
Farmington Hills and assistant
teacher Rachel Raimi of West
Bloomfield. Mitnick brings to the
school more than 25 years of experi-
ence working with young children,
while Raimi.is planning to supple-
ment her bachelor's degree in child
development with a graduate degree
in education or children's therapy.
The two teach half-day classes
with no more than seven children
per class. Their curriculum — pur-
posely fluid to meet the shifting
needs of the students — is highly
developmental rather than academic.
"When you have a child who has
difficulty socializing in preschool,
there are usually larger issues," says
Libcke. "The Village takes an inter-
disciplinary approach, with the par-
ent an integral part of the plan."
Not all the children at the school
have behavioral problems, she
explains. Others may have speech
issues or other developmental delays.
"It's a great place when your child
doesn't fit into the traditional
model," she says. "We certainly were
in no position to afford it, but we
felt it was the best option.
'As a parent, I was always telling
him, 'Don't do this, don't do that.'
Marsha said, 'Let him be who he
is.'"
Libcke's son is now in second
grade in public school and doing
fine, she says.
To Learn And Grow
Over the years, Mitnick has given
workshops for the Opening the Doors
program, which provides special educa-
tion services to area day schools. The