(Canada) Private ASD preschool; 5 hours a week costs $349 a month

Aug 9, 2018, Sudbury Star:"Our schools don’t commonly have the proper services,” Star: Private speech-based preschool filling a gap for vulnerable children in Regina https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/local-news/private-speech-based-preschool-filling-a-gap-for-vulnerable-children-in-regina/wcm/f2d32dcb-239d-4f32-80da-161adee3e625 Lewis Parker was four when he was diagnosed with autism a year ago. Lewis’s autism came with a speech delay. At age three, he couldn’t talk. And, through the public health system, he would go five weeks or longer between sessions with a speech pathologist. … So, this fall— in addition to kindergarten 2 ½ days per week — five-year-old Lewis will also attend a new private preschool that has a focus on speech. Pathways Learning Centre is the first private preschool of its kind in Regina, slated to open in October. “We know early intervention and prevention is so critical, especially in those early years in pre-K age,” said Maegan Mason, who co-founded the preschool with her colleague Cari Thiele. Both are speech pathologists…. Their “inclusive and integrated” preschool, which is currently under construction in northeast Harbour Landing, will offer four classes for three- to five-year-olds, with room for up to 16 students per class. There will also be a junior preschool class with 12 spaces for two-year-olds…. Most children will attend two days per week, for a total of five hours per week, for a monthly cost of $349…. The Regina Public School Division in spring 2017 decided to close its Discovery Preschool for children who have intensive needs, a casualty of provincial government budget cuts. A year later, with federal government funding, the division announced a new pilot program offering 36 prekindergarten spaces for children who have intensive needs. Because Lewis has autism, he qualifies for $4,000 in new provincial funding for support services, which will help cover his preschool tuition.