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Frequently Asked Questions
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General FAQ'S
Q: What population of children do you work with? Can you help my child reach his learning potential?
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A: Partners With Parents works with elementary school and high school age children who have learning disabilities, AD(H)D and other learning difficulties and are studying in regular classrooms. These children too often “fall through the cracks”. Their academic success is often dependent on the degree of their parent’s involvement in their education. We work hard to teach parents how to identify their child’s difficulties and formulate a realistic plan of action to facilitate real change for each child.
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Q: “What evaluations are available to help determine my child’s learning needs?
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A: Available evaluations include: Psychological, Psycho-educational, Neurological, didactic (educational), speech and language, and occupational therapy. Neurological, Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy evaluations for younger children (below age 10) are usually subsidized by your child’s health fund. Each of the health funds has different rules for evaluations and your rights to subsidized evaluations and treatment varies depending on your health fund and your level of supplementary insurance. You will also need a referral from your Pediatrician to get subsidized evaluations and treatment. |
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Q: How do I know which evaluations are necessary?
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A: Unnecessary evaluations are taxing both for the child and his parents. Time, money and emotional resources are too often depleted in the process. At Partners With Parents we examine each child’s developmental and academic history in order to recommend appropriate and necessary evaluations that can help you determine the best course of action to help your child succeed in school. Parents should also consult with their child's Pediatrician about recommended evaluations. |
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Q: How do I choose the best professional to evaluate my child?
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A: Before hiring any professional, examine the individual’s qualifications to perform the evaluation and his or her experience in working with children whose difficulties are similar to your child’s. If you need to take your child for an evaluation that centers on language, and the language spoken at home is not the same as the one he uses at school, it is important to take your child to someone whose speech is fluent and accurate in both languages. The professional’s awareness and sensitivity to the developmental and linguistic needs of bilingual/ second language learners will affect the results of the evaluation.
At Partners with Parents we assist parents in finding qualified professionals to evaluate their children. |
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Q: “School has been a struggle for my son for quite some time. I need to understand if there are other issues, besides “the Hebrew”, holding him back. How do I know where to begin?”
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A: At Partners with Parents we aim to minimize the number of wrong turns and dead -ends you may encounter in your search for definitive answers regarding the underlying factors influencing your child’s development. Our in-depth knowledge and experience in the fields of child development, psychology, linguistics and education has enabled us to design a comprehensive screening process which will identify the specific areas of greatest concern and recommend the appropriate assessments and consulting professionals for your child. |
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Q: “We have been to many professionals with our daughter and have a stack of reports. How do these evaluations help my child improve her grades at school?
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A: At Partners with Parents we first interpret and combine the information contained in all the reports to establish a learning profile that reflects your child’s strengths and weaknesses. We then spend time talking to educational staff at your child’s school, other involved professionals, and both you and your child. The outcome of this effort is a “tailor made” individualized educational and behavioral modification plan (IEP) for your child, designed to be used by all the teachers, yet organized and regularly updated by us. |
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Q: My daughter is finally on the right track - How can I make sure she stays there?
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A: Once a plan has been agreed upon, Partners with Parents will:
- Meet with parents regularly to help establish home routines to best support your child’s educational and behavioral goals.
- Coordinate with other involved professionals (e.g., teachers, tutors, therapists, etc.) to ensure that the educational goals are being met.
- Teach you how to best advocate for your child to receive educational services and classroom accommodations.
- Monitor your child’s progress and adapt educational and behavioral goals as progress occurs
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Partners With Parents FAQ'S
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Q: What is the process for initial private consultations?
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Each initial private consultation includes three parts, the comprehensive screening process and two one-hour meetings. During the first meeting, we compile a complete educational and developmental history of your child. We then analyze the available information and speak to relevant professionals involved in your child’s care. During the second meeting, we present our recommendations. This includes our opinion of the child’s specific areas of difficulty and practical recommendations for making effective improvements at home and at school. At the conclusion of the initial process, we put you on the right track towards developing an appropriate educational strategy for your child. |
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Q: What are the qualifications of the Partners with Parents staff?
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A: Gayle Shimoff, founder of Partners with Parents, earned a BA in Elementary School and Special Education from Brooklyn College, CUNY and an MA in Learning Disabilities from Columbia University. Gayle has completed doctoral level coursework at Bar Ilan University, focusing on bilingual children with reading disabilities. Gayle has taught at Bar Ilan University, David Yellin Teachers’ College and Beit Berl Teachers’ College. Gayle is an educational consultant with more than nearly 20 years experience, teaching students, guiding parents and training teachers.
Esther Wolfson received her BA in English Communications from Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University and an MA in Early Childhood Special Education from Columbia University. She is an experienced early childhood special education teacher and parent consultant. Esther assists Gayle in coordinating services at Partners with Parents.
Esther and Gayle have both lived in Israel for more than twelve years. |
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Q: What are the fees for Partners with Parents services?
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A: An initial consultation with Partners with Parents costs 400 NIS. This includes the two one-hour meetings with you, the parents. We usually also meet with your child, at an additional cost of 120 NIS per hour session. Subsequent consultations are charged on the basis of 200 NIS per hour of meeting time. Individualized tutoring hours are 120 NIS for each one-hour session. A detailed list of fees for all services is available upon request. |
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