As a friend, you know that Rise opened as our city’s first and only school dedicated to early education of infants, toddlers and pre-school children born with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities in January 2000, serving youngsters ages six months to six years old with its intensive environment of early education and intervention provided to students year-round, five days a week, for six hours daily.  In its unique, proven model, Rise serves about 65% students with Down syndrome or developmental differences and 35% traditional-learners, a blend which allows special needs youngsters to “model” after typically-developing peers.  A child who begins as an infant will receive 6,000 hours of instruction, intervention and therapy at Rise by the time he or she “graduates” from Rise, and will be ready to succeed in mainstream kindergarten and life.

We believe that the MORE intervention we offer to children with developmental disabilities during their formative pre-school years means the LESS support they will require in adulthood and the more they will be able to contribute to society. The true benefit of a Rise early childhood education is success in K-12. Indeed, 99% of Rise graduates will enter mainstream kindergarten. We expect most to graduate high school, some to attend college, and most to become employable adult citizens. What a gift to these children and their families!

Our new facility has 12 classrooms – six for returning students, and six to fill with waiting students.  We filled three of our new classrooms this fall, and will open one new classrooms each year over the next three years, until we have reached our 12 classroom –120 student capacity.  Our returning students took the move to our new facility in stride, as if this beautiful space had been “their school” all along. But our parents and staff continue to be awed daily by our new facility and by people who gave so generously to make it possible.

With these gifts to our students and our city, however, comes a greater responsibility.  Doubling our capacity means doubling our teachers, therapists and supplies to support additional students. In fact, we will double our operating budget in the new facility.  Tuition from new students will help towards our increased expenses, but tuition covers less than 40% of our operating budget.  The remainder is met through grants and special events, and gifts from individuals like you.

 Will you please consider a gift towards the Rise School’s operating needs in 2012?  A gift of any size will directly benefit a student with developmental disabilities.   We invite you to direct your support to a specific program, or to make a gift for general operating support to be applied where it is most needed. 

We love every moment in our new building. We joyfully invite friends like you and members of the community to visit and tour our school.  Should you be interested in seeing our teaching staff and students in action or sharing our school with others, please contact me at 713-532-7473 or jastailey@riseschool.org to schedule a private tour.

Very truly yours,
Jan Stailey                                                      
Executive Director

The Rise School is a nonprofit organization providing the highest quality of early childhood education services to children with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities and to children without disabilities.

The Rise School of Houston is located at:

5618 H. Mark Crosswell Street
Houston, TX 77021

For further information contact:
Jan Stailey, Executive Director
Phone: (713) 532-Rise
Fax: (713) 383-7007
Email: jastailey@riseschool.org