Grants

2024-2025

On June 16th, Verona C.H.I.L.D. (Children Having Individual Learning Differences) proudly awarded three $500 grants and one $350 mini-grant to dedicated staff members in the Verona Public School District. This year’s $500 grant recipients are Lesly de Groot-Axelrod, a resource teacher at Laning Avenue Elementary School; Meredith Bielen, a special education teacher at H.B. Whitehorne Middle School; and Michelle DeRosa, school psychologist for both F.N. Brown and Brookdale Avenue Elementary Schools. The $350 mini-grant will be shared by Grace Minervo-Buneo, a preschool special education teacher, and Sylvia Vassallo, a registered behavior technician, both from Laning Avenue Elementary School.

Ms. de Groot-Axelrod will use her grant to purchase a large, multi-use horseshoe utility table for Laning Avenue Elementary School. This table will support small group instruction and provide space for multisensory, hands-on learning activities.

Ms. Bielen plans to use her funds for standing tables and high-back stools in her English and Math in-class resource classes at H.B. Whitehorne Middle School. These flexible seating options are designed to improve focus and attention, support sensory and behavioral needs, and foster greater student engagement and motivation.

Ms. DeRosa will use her grant to establish “Calming Corners” in the two Language/Learning Disabilities classrooms at F.N. Brown. These designated spaces will offer students a chance to practice self-regulation and manage emotions through a range of sensory and calming tools.

Lastly, Ms. Minervo-Buneo and Ms. Vassallo will use their mini-grant to replenish materials in the Sensory Room at Laning Avenue Elementary School, enhancing this essential space for students’ sensory development and emotional well-being.

2023-2024

C.H.I.LD. awarded three $500 grants to staff members in the Verona Public School District at the Board of Education meeting held on April 30.

The grant winners are Linda Barone, a special education teacher at Verona High School; Tatiana Fella, a resource room teacher at Forest Avenue Elementary School; and Felisha Camacho, a registered behavior technician at Laning Avenue Elementary School.

Barone will use the funds to purchase a Newsela subscription, which will enable her to adjust the reading levels of high-interest informational texts. Fella will use the funds to purchase items that will provide a multi-sensory experience for students in the Forest Avenue resource room. Camacho will use the funds to purchase reinforcers that promote positive behavior for the LSS classrooms in Laning Elementary School.

2022-2023

C.H.I.L.D. (Children Having Individual Learning Differences) has awarded three $400 grants to staff members in the Verona Public School District. Our grant winners are Ms. Corisa Walker, librarian for Brookdale and FN Brown elementary schools, Ms. Sage Nardi, a second-grade teacher at Laning Elementary School, and the preschool program staff.

Ms. Walker will use the funds to further develop the library’s collection of books focused on celebrating differences and supporting neurodiversity and disability awareness. Ms. Nardi will use the funds to purchase Wiggle Wobble Rock and Twist boards and sensory-weighted lap pads. These items will be used for second-grade students with ADHD and sensory issues. The preschool program will use the funds to create a read-aloud teacher library. Supplementary texts include age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts based on each unit of study.

2018-2019 Mini Grants

The total amount of mini grants for the 2018-2019 school year was $2300. To qualify for the award, the staff member had to submit an application that described the item(s) requested, how those items would be used in the classroom environment and why they would be beneficial. C.H.I.L.D. was proud to award the following mini grants:

• $150 to Ms. Diana Conboy and Ms. Stephanie Heard from F.N. Brown Elementary for reimbursement to enter the Speech students in the event Gingerbread Wonderland 2018 at Frelinghuysen Arboretum
• $400 to Ms. Linda Wangger from Laning Elementary for the purchase of a 2017 Apple iPad (32G with WiFi) with strong protective cover.
• $500 to Ms. Dana Moon from F.N. Brown Elementary for the purchase of High Interest Books Encouraging Critical Thinking for the Special Education Classroom Library.
• $1,250.00 to Ms. Melissa Tempesta from H.B. Whitehorne Middle School to purchase 5 to 7 Chrome Books and Flexible Seating, including a small couch, bean bag and other flexible seating equipment.

Annual Applications

The applications for these grants is made available each January and typically due by mid-February of the given school year. Teachers and therapists that would like C.H.I.L.D. to sponsor their programs or training should contact CHILD at our email address childverona@gmail.com.  

We invite teaching staff from all schools to apply for a mini-grant that would enhance the learning environment for special education students.  (The grant could provide a secondary benefit to general education students within the classroom.)

Grants will be awarded up to $500. The total amount given to each grant will be at the discretion of the Verona C.H.I.L.D. Board. We encourage faculty and staff to submit their application for any amount up to $500, with the acknowledgment that the grant may be partially funded, if appropriate.