The Lighthouse Foundation for Special Education was established in 2000 to serve young children with special needs who are members of the international community in the Netherlands. Lighthouse Special Education (LSE) is the only English-speaking international special education school in the Netherlands. The mission of LSE is to provide special education to children ages 3-13 who need more than what is provided in the general mainstream education setting. LSE offers both an integrated preschool program for children with and without special needs, and a primary education program for children with special needs. Lighthouse became part of the Haagsche School Vereniningen in January 2009. Using an English curriculum, LSE works in partnership with international schools and service agencies to help meet the educational and developmental needs of students in the international community.

What we do:
Lighthouse Special Education provides small group and individualized support to children with special needs. LSE recruits highly motivated personnel with expertise in special education to address all areas of learning including cognition, speech and language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and social-emotional development. Lighthouse works with families to evaluate the educational needs of their child, and develops an individualized education plan (IEP) for the child. Qualified, caring staff works with families to develop goals for their child’s IEP, and to review progress toward the goals throughout the year. When ready, LSE students integrate into international schools with their typical peers.

How we do it:
Lighthouse works with other international schools to provide an appropriate education for each child. Through inter-school collaboration and family involvement, children are often able to transition from LSE to less specialized educational environments and into mainstream classroom settings. Therapy services are conveniently available at LSE. A multidisciplinary specialist team works with families to offer evaluation and a comprehensive, inclusive educational program that affords the structure, consistency and professional expertise needed to help each child learn.

Where are we located?
The Lighthouse Special Education School is located in Bezuidenhout in The Hague close to the International Department of the HSV at the Koningin Sophiestraat (KSS).
Lighthouse Special Education School is readily accessible by public bus transport, and within walking distance of both the tram and the train.

Contact:
Amalia van Solmsstraat 155
2595 TA The Hague
Tel: +31 70 3355 698
Tel: +31 64 31 46 708
Website: www.lighthousese.nl
                 www.threelittleships.nl
E-mail: infoLSE@hsvdenhaag.nl
Location Leader: Cynthia Jaeger, Ed.D.

If you wish to comment or express an opinion about this article please e-mail the editor@TheHagueOnLine.com