Why the Stern Center?
Our Mission
The Stern Center for Language and Learning is a nonprofit literacy center dedicated to helping children and adults reach their full potential. Through high-quality direct service, professional learning, and research, we are committed to enriching the lives of learners because all great minds don't think alike.
Q. Why the Stern Center for Language and Learning?
The Stern Center for Language and Learning exists because not all children and adults learn the same way and not all education programs meet the needs of all learners. Some learners are challenged by learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, others by attention deficit disorders, others by social thinking challenges, and others by learning differences including giftedness. The Stern Center is dedicated to helping identify learning differences and challenges and to finding solutions that allow all great minds to learn.
Q. Who are we?
The Stern Center's nationally recognized team of experts promotes leaning success by helping children and adults reach their full potential. Founded in 1983 by Dr. Blanche Podhajski through the generosity of the Bernice and Milton Stern Foundation, the Stern Center has grown from a staff of three, serving approximately 100 students a year, to a staff of more than sixty serving close to 1,000 learners a year. We provide educational assessments and instruction, professional learning for educators, and research on new approaches to learning and literacy. Our tailored approach to learning is so successful that our programs are being replicated across the country. The Stern Center is sustained by the growing generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Q. Where are we?
Our primary facility is in Williston, Vermont, with an Upper Valley office in White River Junction, Vermont. We are global through our online presence including programs for educators, parents and providers wwww.sterncenter.org
Our most recently launched program is our free BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY® website to help prepare children for literacy success.Q. What do we do?
We evaluate and teach over 1,000 children and adults each year including those with learning disabilities, dyslexia, language disorders, autism, attention deficit disorders, and learning style differences.
We design and deliver professional learning programs for over 1,500 educators each year. Research-based information about early literacy oral language, reading, written language, social thinking, executive functioning, and math is presented through workshops, undergraduate and graduate courses available both live and online, and symposia.
We conduct research on best practices for students and educators to help all kinds of learners succeed.