PresenceLearning addresses charter schools’ unique challenge of providing access to quality speech-language pathology services

 
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29, 2011 – PresenceLearning (www.presencelearning.com), the leading provider of live online speech therapy services to K-12 students, has been adopted by charter school organizations such as Aspire, Imagine, Leadership Public Schools, Mosaica, Thomas Edison and Ballington Academy to deliver speech-language therapy services to their special education students. PresenceLearning is now delivering more than 5,000 live sessions per month to students in charter, virtual and traditional public schools across 16 states.

“Charter schools face unique challenges when it comes to serving special education students,” said Clay Whitehead, one of the co-founders of PresenceLearning. “As part of the public school system, charter schools are fully accountable for providing special education services and complying with IEPs, but their smaller scale means they have different needs and requirements compared to traditional districts. Leveraging PresenceLearning allows charters to grow in their unique missions while successfully serving a more diverse student population.”

Ms. Grace Jiminez, School Director at Ballington Academy of Arts and Sciences (www.ballingtonacademy.org), a charter school in southern California, says “We have found PresenceLearning and their services to be very friendly, accessible and effective. Also, it’s nice to not have to worry about the HR side of things – no recruiting, no interviews, no screening – it’s very clean and smooth. PresenceLearning saves us money and delivers excellent quality.”

Over the past year, a growing number of organizations have adopted PresenceLearning’s live online therapy services, including dozens of traditional school districts and many virtual academy and charter school management groups. In the face of continuing budget challenges, as well as chronic shortages of SLPs in many areas, schools are realizing significant cost savings with PresenceLearning while also seeing better IEP outcomes for their students.

About PresenceLearning
PresenceLearning (www.presencelearning.com) is the leading provider of live online speech therapy services (also known as telepractice) for K-12 students. The company offers school districts web-based access to a growing, nationwide network of over 100 highly qualified speech language pathologists (SLPs) via live videoconferencing using the latest in evidence-based practices. PresenceLearning delivers large cost savings while improving student outcomes. PresenceLearning is an ASHA-approved continuing education provider for SLPs and a U.S. Department of Education grant-winner, dedicated to bringing the highest clinical standards to telepractice.

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Katie Povejsil, Vice President of Marketing, PresenceLearning
415.625.0150
katie@presencelearning.com

Christine Allman, Public Relations for PresenceLearning
410.975.9638
christine@kehcomm.com

According to an article on KRWG TV, starting on January 4th, 2012, Las Cruces students in the Developmentally Delayed Early Childhood Pre-School Program at Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) in New Mexico who currently receive speech-only services will no longer be eligible for services due to budgetary cutbacks. 

According to the article this cut in services will affect 82 students within the program. 

With budget cuts taking place around the country, many student services, including speech therapy as seen at LCPS schools, are being reduced or eliminated. Speech therapy has incredible benefits for both students and districts. Early speech therapy can help students enter kindergarten without the need for special education services. Yet, as districts continue to make tough decisions on cuts, and with the lack of speech therapists around the country, oftentimes this is a service that does not make it through cuts.

With PresenceLearning’s large network of highly qualified speech-language pathologists available to districts and students via a virtual environment, we provide a very cost-effective solution to districts that might otherwise not be able to afford speech services for students.

To save your district money on high quality speech therapy services, visit: http://presencelearning.com/ or call 415.512.9000.

Article:  http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/krwg/news/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1873270/Regional/State.Budget.Cuts.Will.End.Services.To.Some.Las.Cruces.Students

In a recent New York Times story, a young man by the name of Philip Garber Jr. went public following an incident with his professor at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey. According to the October 10th article, Garber was asked by one of his teachers at the college not to raise his hand during his history class, but rather to pose his questions before or after class to prevent disrupting the other students. He was asked this, according to Garber, because of his stutter. Following this request by his teacher, Garber raised his hand in class to ask a question and was ignored; and while Garber kept his hand raised for much of the 75-minute class he was never called on. This experience was confusing to Garber because he spent most of his academic years being homeschooled.

While stuttering can require patience on the part of both the listener and the speaker, it is important to note that individuals who suffer from stuttering are suffering from a disability. With PresenceLearning’s nationwide network of highly-qualified speech language pathologists (SLPs), students like Garber can receive treatment via live videoconferencing using the latest in evidence-based practices.

“One of the great things about telepractice is our flexibility. It is important to pair your child with the best possible person to provide them the treatment they need,” said Clay Whitehead, co-founder of PresenceLearning. “If we find that someone is not a best fit for a student, we have the ability to provide them with an alternative which is not always possible at a school.”

To learn more about stuttering, how it is diagnosed and tips on how to better communicate with a stutterer, visit: www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering.htm

To read Garber’s story, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/education/11stutter.html?_r=1

PresenceLearning Gains Traction with Virtual Schools

Live online speech therapy service helps virtual schools meet the needs of diverse learners 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 7, 2011 – PresenceLearning (www.presencelearning.com), the leading provider of live online speech therapy services to K-12 students, provides services to more than 20 online schools across the U.S. for their special education students.

“Virtual schools have found our service very helpful for their highly distributed populations of students requiring speech therapy,” said Clay Whitehead, one of the co-founders of PresenceLearning. “Virtual school organizations have discovered that PresenceLearning enables them to broaden their reach to students with special needs and cost-effectively deliver the speech-language therapy they need to be academically successful.”

Over the past year, PresenceLearning’s online therapy services have been adopted by a growing number of educational organizations, including dozens of traditional school districts, charter school management groups and many virtual academies such as the California Virtual Academy (CAVA), Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) and Mosaica. PresenceLearning now delivers more than 5,000 speech therapy sessions monthly to students nationwide. In the face of continuing budget pressures and chronic shortages of speech language pathologists in many areas, educational organizations are realizing significant cost savings with PresenceLearning while also seeing better outcomes for their students.

Angie Guterres, California Virtual Academies’ Provider Coordinator for Special Services struggled for years to find speech-language pathologists to serve their widely dispersed student population. “It was incredibly frustrating and expensive,” she says.

After years of difficulty, Guterres learned of PresenceLearning’s live online speech therapy services. “I found out that telepractice is both approved and proven,” she says. “It’s been fantastic. The response from our special ed teachers has been very positive. Parents and students love the therapists and the highly visual and interactive computer-based platform.” She estimates that CAVA saved tens of thousands of dollars in the first year and she has expanded the program to several hundred students this year. “I would recommend it to other schools in a heartbeat. I’d say, ‘Stop what you’re doing and use PresenceLearning.’”

About PresenceLearning
PresenceLearning (www.presencelearning.com) is the leading provider of live online speech therapy services (also known as telepractice) for K-12 students. The company offers school districts web-based access to a nationwide network of highly -qualified speech language pathologists (SLPs) via live videoconferencing using the latest in evidence-based practices. PresenceLearning delivers large cost savings while improving student outcomes. PresenceLearning is an ASHA-approved continuing education provider for SLPs and a U.S. Department of Education grant-winner, dedicated to bringing the highest clinical standards to telepractice.

About The California Virtual Academies 
The California Virtual Academies use the K¹² curriculum to offer California students in grades K–12 an exceptional learning experience. California Virtual Academies (CAVA) operates publicly funded online charter schools, serving roughly 13,000 K-12 students across the state. Founded in 2002, CAVA has grown adept at delivering individualized learning experiences to a diverse and widely dispersed student body beyond the walls of a typical school. www.k12.com/cava

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Katie Povejsil, Vice President of Marketing, PresenceLearning
415.625.0150
katie@presencelearning.com

Christine Allman, Public Relations for PresenceLearning
410.975.9638
christine@kehcomm.com