Nichole Miller

#GivingTuesday Campaign

As I enter my 10th year at Frankie Lemmon School, and my 15th year in education, I could not be prouder than to work at FLS! When I talk about FLS, I will often say that we are a unicorn school…meaning we are unique, and incredibly rare. Between my professional experience working in education and my personal experience having 3 school-aged boys going through an education system that is not meeting their needs, I am always grateful to work at a school that doesn’t just do “what’s required” but instead does “what’s best” – for our kids, their families, and for our staff.

FLS provides an incredible blend of all the good & important aspects of early childhood education (safe & inviting environments with loving teachers that encourage exploration & discovery as children grow & develop in all areas – social, emotional, communication, self-help, and learning) AND the strategies & tools of special education (individualized instruction designed to meet children’s needs, a focus on collecting & analyzing assessment data to determine progress and next steps, and therapy targeted at areas where extra support is needed).

It is because of our incredible donors & community partners that we are able to have the funding we need to staff our school with highly qualified & richly experienced teachers, therapists, and an admin team that not only understands what classrooms and staff need to be successful, but also provide support to staff & families so that children get the best possible education. Our teachers build relationships with children and their families while facilitating learning experiences. In addition to direct therapy services, our staff therapists provide enrichment activities that both children & teachers enjoy participating in – from Language Group with our Speech Therapist to build literacy and communication skills – to Busy Fingers with our Occupational Therapist to develop fine motor strength and coordination – to Music Therapy, Movement Class, and Social Skills groups partnered with Pet Therapy – we are able to provide an amazing environment that is warm, loving, and worth exploring so that all children feel a sense of belonging, and have an opportunity to build the foundation for reaching their full potential.

Our goal is to provide high quality services and supports for all our children and families. Providing this level of comprehensive education to each Frankie Lemmon student costs approximately $45,000 each year. With State and County funding providing less than 30% of the funds needed to support the school each year, we rely on generous donors like YOU to help bridge the gap.