• The Whole Child

    Our philosophy includes a “whole-child” approach, which reaches beyond academics to establish a safe, healthy and everlasting relationship with learning. We believe in teaching through the facilitation of opportunities for independence, creative expression, decision making, critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence.

  • The AM enrichment session runs from 8am - 11:30am. The PM session runs from 12pm - 3:30pm.

  • Low demands, minimal transitions. Unlike traditional educational environments, children aren’t held to a rigorous daily schedule. Learners have plenty of room to explore and engage at their own pace, according to their own interests. Circle time isn’t mandated, services can be push-in (rather than pull-out), snack isn’t restricted to a specific time (we practice intuitive eating, snack and drink options are always available), and “play time” is all the time.

    Our staff are trained to facilitate learning within your child’s natural exploration.

  • Indie’s learning environments, by design, are set up to support and engage learners at various developmental stages, ages and abilities.

    Rather than basing support levels on criteria such as medical diagnoses or performance relative to academic standards, we proactively arrange our environments, sessions and events to facilitate multi-sensory engagement, play-based discovery, opportunities for independence and development of self-advocacy skills.

    As learners display indicators of areas of support, we adapt and accommodate.

  • Each developmental room has an assigned teacher/BCBA team that work collaboratively to support our learners growth and facilitate their skill development. Each learner is provided a comprehensive assessment during their enrollment period, from which a learning plan is created. These assessments guide things like recommendations for related services (Speech, NBT) and small group activities.

    Additionally, each developmental room is equipped with support staff members, trained to meet each child where they are, promote skill development, foster peer relationships and provide support with communication, independent living skills and more!

  • There are a few factors that we have to consider when supporting behaviors and offering safer alternatives.

    Perspective taking

    What is happening in the environment that could be triggering big feelings/behaviors?

    Are necessary supports available?

    Does the learner have necessary supports for communication/self-advocacy?

    Sensory factors

    Are there sensory needs that aren’t being met? Are there factors that could lead to overstimulation?

    Digging deeper

    There’s typically more to an outward expression (i.e. hitting) than what presents at face value. It is our position to explore the root cause behind the behavior/expression and work collaboratively with the learner to identify relevant support, tools and skills to help them through big feelings.

  • When designing a program with inclusion at the forefront, we wanted to be sure that food allergens weren’t a barrier to participation.

    In our effort to ensure an allergen friendly environment, here’s our plan:

    • All snacks and drinks provided by Indie are certified brands, free from top food allergens such as milk, wheat (gluten), egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish/shellfish, soy and sesame. Furthermore, snacks/drinks are free from artificial dyes and gelatin.

    • If a child in our program is anaphylactic to either of these allergens, food brought from staff member and peer homes will not be permitted inside of our developmental rooms (classrooms).

    • Considerations for top allergens are also prioritized when making sensory filler/activities.

  • We are tremendously grateful for the overwhelming interest in this program. In order to increase fairness and our ability to best serve our learners, we are accepting pre-registration for our half-day developmental sessions on a first come, first served basis. Pre-registration secures your child’s spot for Spring 2024 enrollment.

    Once at capacity, we will begin a waitlist for our Central Phoenix location.

    Pre-register here.

    Note: Please complete separate forms for each child registering.