<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Building school programs for children who learn differently</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">“Always be open to evaluating your process. That’s what’s going to make a difference for the kids.” This was just one of many takeaways from Trident Academy guest speaker Nicole McLain at last week’s learning community hosted by The Learning Center Fund, a donor-advised fund of Coastal Community Foundation that supports nonprofits serving children with learning differences.</p>


[caption id="attachment_21948" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/PHILANTHROPY-The-Learning-Center-caption-in-story.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-21948" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/PHILANTHROPY-The-Learning-Center-caption-in-story-300x197.jpg" alt="Nicole McLain joins The Learning Center Fund Advisory Board, CCF Regional Vice-President Edie Blakeslee and CCF Board Member D.C. Gilley for a photo after her presentation. Left to Right: Malcolm Goodridge, Dr. Charles Kresch, Edie Blakeslee, Nicole McLain, D.C. Gilley, David House." width="300" height="197" /></a> Nicole McLain joins The Learning Center Fund Advisory Board, CCF Regional Vice-President Edie Blakeslee and CCF Board Member D.C. Gilley for a photo after her presentation. Left to Right: Malcolm Goodridge, Dr. Charles Kresch, Edie Blakeslee, Nicole McLain, D.C. Gilley, David House.[/caption]
<p style="text-align: left;">McLain, a nationally recognized leader in learning differences education and the Director of the School for Asperger’s/HFA at Trident Academy in Mount Pleasant, used her presentation to demonstrate how to build quality programs for children who learn differently. With half of dyslexia cases going undiagnosed, she argued that the demand for programs tailored to children with dyslexia or other learning differences far surpasses current supply. McLain also emphasized the importance of allowing children to become experts and teach their peers, just as she underscored the need to empower all program staff to become leaders.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The diverse audience included representatives from the Beaufort County School District and Bridges Preparatory Academy. The Learning Center Fund united the audience, which was comprised of recent grantees of the fund. Advisory Board Members Malcolm Goodridge, Charles Kresch and David House created this learning community as a way to continue their support for children with learning differences, expanding capacity for organizations addressing their needs across Beaufort County.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em>Each week, Coastal Community Foundation highlights organizations, donors and other charitable news in The Philanthropy Corner. If you’re interested in learning more aboutphilanthropy in the Lowcountry, reach out to our regional Stewardship Officer, Gloria Duryea, at Gloria@CoastalCommunityFoundation.org or (843) 379-3400.</em></p>