Our Facilities
Blind Children's Learning Center is located in the north Tustin area of unincorporated Santa Ana in Orange County, California. Our administrative offices and Early Childhood Center are located on three lovely tree shaded acres we share with our landlord, a small church.
The Early Childhood Center includes eight classrooms for infants and children, 6 months to 3 years of age. The infant/toddler classrooms share a wonderful play area designed just for them. The yard was a combined community project. Funding came from a grant from the Weingart Foundation; Christmas in April, (a national organization that recruits volunteers to work one weekend each April), planned and hosted the project. They recruited volunteers from the Mormon Church of Irvine and over 280 volunteers worked to bring our dream play-yard to fruition.
The "older" kids, 3 years to 6 years, have even a larger play area where they can learn about their world through play and exploration. This area was the result of the Orange County Corporate Combined Volunteer Project which turned the play area into a park. The volunteers - over 200 of them - came from Disneyland, Fluor, Hunt Wesson, Ingram Micro, PacifiCare, Pacific Life, Rockwell, St. Joseph's Health Systems and UPS. The Volunteer Center of Orange County was instrumental in the coordination of the project.
Over the years much of the equipment both outside and inside has been designed and built by students from the Industrial Design Art Class at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. While visiting the Center you might be surprised to see the children running, swinging and riding tricycles.
The children's classrooms are rich in sensory opportunities. Technology is introduced early in their development and you may see the children at their computers with adaptive equipment that talks to them.
The multi-media library provides a quiet place for the children to explore tactile, large print and Braille books. Parents, teachers, students and other professionals in the field of visual impairment have access to resources in the library.
The counseling office is on-site, it's a special place for the children to meet one-on-one with the school counselor and receive help through play therapy.
The occupational therapy room provides an environment for the finest sensory integration for blind and visually impaired children.
The staff from the Infant Family Focus and Youth Outreach programs who provide services in the community, come together to plan and meet at their on-site offices.
The Center is a very busy place with lots of activities during the week. If you live nearby or will be in the area, we invite you to come and visit. Please call Linn at 714-573-8888 ext. 102 or email [email protected].