Building Brighter Futures Since 1956
In 1956, four Longmont families saw a need for equitable learning opportunities for their children and were determined to make it happen. Almost 20 years before special education legislation was passed in the United States, they were encouraged to keep their children at home or to institutionalize them, a common practice for the time. Because those families believed that their children deserved to have a childhood like their typically-developing peers –attending preschool, playing with friends, and enjoying a rich and healthy quality of life—they sought to create a place where all children are welcome, regardless of ability, background, or income and the Tiny Tim Cerebral Palsy Center, as it was called then, was born.
In 1990, with the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act, an act that fosters inclusive classrooms in educational settings, Tiny Tim opened its doors to children of all abilities and in 2013 we changed our name to TLC Learning Center to better reflect the children we serve. Our inclusion model curates classrooms in which 60% of the children are neurotypical, meaning they do not require additional support services, and 40% of the children are neurodivergent, meaning they require therapeutic services such as occupational, physical, or speech therapies. We believe that children learn best when they are in an environment that embraces and celebrates their differences, as well as their commonalities.
In addition to our inclusive classrooms, we also offer therapy services to over 260 children each year from birth to age 12, at their homes, in the community, and at our Center. Seventy years after opening our doors, we are still going strong, honoring our founders’ vision of providing inclusive early childhood education and therapeutic services to the kids in our community who need it most.