Our Programs

Highlights of Programs Funded by
Unicorn Children's Foundation

Over the last decade, there has been a steady and startling increase in the number of children diagnosed with developmental disorders with no established cause: increases of 31% for infants and toddlers 46% for pre-school aged children. (U.S. Dept of Education, 2005)

​Your support makes a difference in the the lives of these children.
$1,000,000
Endowment to The  Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, for an endowed chair position offering best practice research and interventions for clinicians, educators and parents. 2003-present
$966,292
 Unicorn Village Academy

Created Unicorn Village Academy, a special needs high school intended to be a model high school that can be emulated and replicated in communities around the world. The innovative program will provide students with the rare opportunity to master their "life-skills" and vocational abilities through a variety of community internships, while continuing to commplete their academic requirements.
​$247,000
​Numerous grants and assistance to the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL), which included the publication of Clinical Practice Guidelines.   1997-2000
​$240,000
Research Grant to York University, Toronto, Canada 2004
​$181,224
​Research Grant to York University, Toronto, Canada.  This will be the first head-to-head comparison of the primary intervention programs for children diagnosed with autism. 2006-2009.
​$104,000
2nd Mobile Developmental Clinic in Partnership with Florida Atlantic University
​$92,000
 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast Special Needs Hotline

Launched the 211 Special Needs Hotline is Palm Beach County's single source for information and referrals for parents of special needs individuals from the moment of diagnosis, throughout the child's school years, and into the transition period from young adulthood to employment.
$90,000​
Research grant to the University of Maryland 1995-1999
​$59,300
To sponsor seminars/workshops in partnership with Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL 2002- 2005, 2011

Featured Speakers:
  • Rick Lavoie, leading authority on teaching and parenting children with learning differences
  • Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard professor and education theorist
  • Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of Psychology & Management at Claremont Graduate University, CA
  • Jonathan Mooney, author of Learning Outside the Lines
  • Dr. Mel Levine, Founder, All Kinds of Minds Institute; Director, Center for Developmental Learning at the University of North Carolina Medical School; author of A Mind at a Time
  • Transitions: 2011, Options for Students with Learning Differences
$56,434​
Funding of the UM-NSU Community Mobile Screening Clinic which will promote awareness of the early warning signs of autism and the importance of early identification. This Mobile clinic will operate in Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Broward counties in South Florida. The mobile clinic will also be utilized to bring parent education/training services into the communities. A priority will be to target lower income and non-English speaking families who face additional barriers to accessing services.  2008
​$40,000
​Educational Grant to The Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL) for the development and launch of an online DIR Learning Center available to parents and professionals across the globe. 2007.
$39,300
To sponsor seminars/workshops in partnership with Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL   2002 - 2005
 
Featured Speakers:
  • Rick Lavoie, leading authority on teaching and parenting children with learning differences.
  • Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard professor and education theorist.
  • Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of Psychology & Management at Claremont Graduate University, CA.
  • Jonathan Mooney, author of Learning Outside the Lines.
  • Dr. Mel Levine, Founder, All Kinds of Minds Institute; Director, Center for Developmental Learning at the University of North Carolina Medical School; author of  A Mind at a Time.
​$26,340
Grant to Dimensions Therapy Center for Computer Based Intervention (CBI) for Children with Developmental Disorders. This project will reach speech-language pathologists worldwide to educate on the use of CBI. The program will be implemented through training manual, written documents, weekly teleseminars and podcasts. Speech pathologists will receive CEUS. A Computer-Based Training Certification Program will also be offered.  2008
​$25,000
Sponsor of Boating & Beach Bash
​$25,000
Sponsor of the two-day conference featuring child expert Dr. T. Berry Brazelton.  2002
​$25,000
​To University of Miami Annual "Masters of Pediatrics" 5-day Leadership Conference  2003-2006
​$20,000
Sponsor of the 3rd Annual Conference of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health,"Building our Future."  2004
​$20,000
​Survive-Or Conference
​$17,093
The Unicorn Children's Foundation Symposium, Special Education Law & Advocacy Bootcamp: Facilitating a Successful School Year for Children with Learning & Communication Disorders, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2006.
​$17,000
Grant to Sulam, Jerusalem, Israel for a series of DIR workshops for teachers and parents to raise awareness of and to spread knowledge of treating children with special needs in Israel.  2008
​$16,845
​Grant to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC for First World Congress on Mental Health  1998
​$15,000
Rich Rewards Child Development Center & Unicorn Children's Foundation Inaugural International Conference, Catching Kids Before They Fall: Helping the Out-of-Sync Child, to share best practice strategies with parents and professionals, Montreal, Canada, 2008.
​$15,000
​The Unicorn's Children's Foundation 2nd Annual Education Conference, Addressing Challenges that Impact Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders, to share best practice strategies with parents and professionals, Boca Raton, FL, 2007.
​$15,000
​Educational Grant to The Ruth & Edward Taubman Early Childhood Center at B'nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, FL for a prototype inclusive preschool program, 2007.
​$13,000
​Grant for Parent and Professional Education & Learning Center/Federation CJA, Montreal, Canada  2000

​Click Here for Beneficiaries $10,000 and Below

How You Can Help
For the many children and their families whose lives have been affected by a learning or communication disorder, the programs we support are all critical stepping stones in their journey to some place called "normal."  Your support can help them find their way.
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