Kingsbury Opens State of the Art Learning Space as it Expands Day School Program to 12th Grade; School for Learning Disabled Students in the Nation’s Capital Will Graduate First Class in 2006

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 -- Washington, D.C.’s premier institution for students with learning disabilities has completed the expansion of its day school program to include 12th grade, unveiling a new state-of-the-art learning center on the third floor of its upper northwest building. Kingsbury Day School’s first class of seniors will graduate in June 2006. Kingsbury will celebrate these accomplishments with parents, donors, staff and community members at a reception on Thursday, Oct. 6.

The Oct. 6 reception will include a keynote address by Andrew J. Imparato, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities. Imparato is a nationally recognized leader in disabilities rights and advocacy. Ward 4 Councilmember and mayoral candidate Adrian Fenty will also address the parents, donors, staff, students and community members in attendance. The evening will include student performances and demonstrations in the science lab, computer center and art studio.

The expansion marks the completion of a 20-year effort to grow the day school program to a complete K-12 program. An elementary program was first created in the 1980s. Middle School was added soon after and the Early Childhood program expanded. Beginning in 2002, Kingsbury Day School added a grade level each year to build an upper school program. Addressing a growing need for specialized serviced for students with learning disabilities in Washington, D.C., Kingsbury Day School’s expansion has enabled the school to provide multi-sensory, individualized and experiential learning opportunities to nearly 250 student each year -- an enormous increase over the school’s population of 99 in the 1999-2000 school year.

Kingsbury Day School’s programmatic expansion was possible due, in part, to Kingsbury’s purchase of its current facility in 2000 on upper 14th Street in the Carter Barron neighborhood of Washington. The facility, formerly known as the Dickson Mansion, provided a significant increase in space for classrooms, offices and therapy rooms, and enabled Kingsbury to house all of its services under one roof. Since the move to 14th Street in 2001, Kingsbury has undertaken extensive renovations in several phases to create unique classroom and therapy spaces that are conducive to teaching and treating students with learning difficulties. The most recent renovation, on the third floor of the building, created new classrooms, a technology center, a library, a visual arts room, a science lab and office space. Kingsbury’s Upper School will occupy the new space, enabling the older students to have access to upper-level research materials and specialized equipment.

Established in 1938 by Marion Kingsbury, Kingsbury is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to serving children, adolescents, and adults with learning disabilities and differences. Guided by its founding principle that individuals with learning disabilities can be taught effectively only when instructional methods and curricula are tailored to each student’s unique learning needs, Kingsbury provides diagnostic testing, tutoring services, and a day school program for children ages five to 18 (K-12) with learning disabilities. Further information about Kingsbury and the Kingsbury Day School program can be found on the organization’s Web site at http://www.kingsbury.org.

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Erin Bartels

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Kingsbury Day School

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