Children’s Language & Literacy Services

Core Preschool and Communication Therapy (CorePACT)

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For children ages 18-36 months – Core PACT is 2 hours of therapy per day, 4 days per week, for 4 weeks.

Core Preschool and Communication Therapy (Core PACT) is a program based on our popular and highly effective PACT program. Core PACT addresses the communication needs of children ages 18-36 months who are struggling to learn language. The program is staffed by a speech-language clinician, a music therapist, graduate trainees and trained volunteers.

Core PACT:
• Builds the child’s verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Integrates parents into the intervention team.
• Teaches the child to be respectful of values and differences.
• Teaches age-appropriate preschool participation skills.
• Helps parents manage environmental stressors.

Program components include:

• Play-based intervention and music therapy model led by a speech-language clinician.
• Structured group intervention in naturalistic settings.
• Pre-assessment for language skills, pragmatics, and play, and as well as a review of progress toward individualized goals.

*A parent or guardian must be willing to attend each day and be an active participant throughout the program in order to learn interactive strategies to carry over into for the home environment.

Get Started: Secure Online Application

Check our Events and News page to see dates of upcoming sessions.

Preschool and Communication Therapy (PACT)

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For children ages 2-4 years – PACT is 2 hours of therapy per day, 4 days per week, for 4 weeks in the summer. To find upcoming sessions, please visit the News and Events page. 

Preschool and Communication Therapy (PACT) is structured play and song-based learning that addresses the communication needs of children ages 2-4 who are struggling to learn language.

PACT:

• Builds your child’s verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Integrates you into the intervention team.
• Teaches the child to be respectful of values and differences.
• Teaches age-appropriate participation skills, reading, and writing.
• Helps parents manage environmental stressors.

Includes pre- and post-assessments of the child’s language skills, pragmatics and play. Each PACT session is staffed by two speech-language clinicians, a music therapist, and volunteers.

Program components include a total of 40 hours of therapy, broken down as follows:

• 36.5 of the 40 total hours of therapy are held in the group classroom setting
• 3.5 hours of individual therapy with a speech-language clinician

*A parent/guardian must attend the weekly parent education and support meetings. They also must be an active participant throughout the program in order to learn interactive strategies to carry over into the home environment.

Get Started: Secure Online Application

Frequently Asked Questions

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How is this program different from other preschool programs?

Unlike other programs, PACT/CorePACT focuses on developing social language and play skills in a structured environment. The class is led by certified speech-language pathologists who are experts on child language development. Your child will receive group and individual therapy everyday. For information on fees and registration, please contact UCLL at (734) 764-8440 or ucll@umich.edu.

Can I drop my child off?

• You or another caregiver must stay in the building while your child is in PACT/CorePACT.
• Anyone who is a possible caregiver to the child is welcome to attend the Parent Education Seminars. Please let the UCLL receptionist know in advance that someone else will be attending so that we can allow for enough space and handouts, if necessary.
• Teachers, etc. are encouraged to observe your child at any time. All non-parent visitors must check in at the UCLL front desk to sign privacy forms BEFORE observing a session.

Where do I park? 

UCLL provides a free valet service to PACT and CorePACT participants. If there is no valet at the desk, please check in at the front desk on the first floor for a parking permit. UCLL is not responsible for citations or tickets incurred as a result of improper parking.

Does my child need to be toilet-trained?

• No, your child does not need to be toilet-trained to participate in PACT/CorePACT.
• When the staff notices that your child needs to be changed, a staff member will transition him or her to the bathroom so that you can change him or her. More detail about this process is presented to parents at orientation on the first day.

My child has a food allergy/special diet. Will that be a problem during snack time?

Snack time is an important part of the day in PACT/CorePACT because it’s a great opportunity for children to learn appropriate social skills about food and eating. If your child has a food allergy, please pack them snacks that they can eat. We will make a note of food allergies for each child.

Is there any financial support offered? 

The Mary A. Rackham Institute, which houses the University Center for Language and Literacy, has a long history of supporting those in need regardless of their ability to pay for our services. We continue to honor that commitment with our financial assistance program that helps those who are uninsured, who have exhausted their benefits, or are experiencing financial hardship. The financial assistance policy applies to both those who live in Michigan (up to 75% reduction in fees, based on household income and several other criteria) as well as those who live out of state or who are temporary residence of Michigan (up to 40% reduction in fees).

To learn more about the financial assistance available and to see if you qualify, please visit our Financial Assistance page.

Ready to Get Started with PACT or CorePACT?

Click Here for the Secure Online Application

Who is the Reading Program For?

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The reading program is designed to help develop literacy skills in children of differing abilities — whether they have been officially evaluated and provided with an Individualize Education Plan (IEP), or if their present level of performance is fairly high, but they have gaps in certain areas, such as reading fluency or spelling.

Our intervention program is particularly strong for students who may otherwise slip through the cracks. Because literacy is such a foundational skill for learning, strengthening reading abilities may help offset future academic obstacles. In other words, our program aims to provide early intervention before reading and learning gaps widen.

Learning Disabilities and Other Challenges

We recognize that there may be co-occurring issues for some young readers, such as ADHD or dyslexia, that reading intervention may help, but not fully address. Our in-depth learning and language development evaluations may be a better place to begin for children who exhibit different challenges. You can learn more about those on our Evaluations page.

We Can Help

If you are uncertain where to begin, please contact us at (734) 764-8440 or ucll@umich.edu and we can walk you through the best options for your family.

What to Expect

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When you contact UCLL regarding a child’s reading and literacy skills, we will ask you a few questions to understand what services may work best for you. Once it is determined if the Reading Intervention Program is the right fit or if you have specifically been referred to the program, we will schedule an initial benchmark assessment. The benchmark assessment will be performed by Carolyn Hansen, Ph.D.

Assessment

Dr. Hansen uses a variety of tools to gauge reading abilities. The benchmark assessment portion will take about 45 minutes, with an additional follow up session where the results are provided and reviewed with parents/guardians. The assessment can be a stand alone service or the first step in establishing one-on-one literacy skill development sessions.

One-On-One Sessions

During the one-on-one sessions, one of our specialists/SLPs will work on targeting the skills your reader needs to strengthen, using research-based strategies such as Orton-Gillingham and Lindamood-Bell multisensory interventions.

More Intensive Evaluation

During the initial call, if it seems like a more intensive evaluation would be beneficial, we will talk to you about setting up a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation to determine if there are underlying learning and attention disorder issues or speech-language development challenges that are contributing to your child’s literacy challenges.

Take the First Step

Contact us to get started: Call (734) 764-8440 or CLICK HERE to fill out a secure application (opens in a new tab).

Frequently Asked Questions

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How is this program different from other reading programs?

Our program stands out from others in several distinct ways:

1. Full Spectrum: We provide service to address the gamut of literacy issues children may exhibit. Often programs are generally either focused on services for students who need a high level of intervention or provide tutoring for students who don’t necessarily show gaps. Our program is set up to help all learners — from those who have underlying learning challenges to those who need a short-term focus on a particular skill to get caught up, to all readers who fall between the two ends of that spectrum.
2. Our Reputation: As part of the University Center for Language and Literacy at the University of Michigan, we also offer the highly regarded, intensive, individualized, and innovative care that our clinic is known for.
3. In-house Expertise: The leader of the Reading Intervention Program is highly trained and has many years of experience addressing literacy issues as an educator as well as literacy specialist.
4. Year-round Services: While school districts offer interventions during the school year, our services are available year-round to ensure your schedule can be accommodated and so there are no losses during academic breaks.

Do you accept insurance? 

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept insurance for our Reading Intervention Program services.

Is financial support available? 

The Mary A. Rackham Institute, which houses the University Center for Language and Literacy, has a long history of supporting those in need regardless of their ability to pay for our services. We continue to honor that commitment with our financial assistance program. The financial assistance policy applies to both those who live in Michigan (up to 75% reduction in fees, based on household income and several other criteria), as well as those who live out-of-state or who are temporary residence of Michigan (up to 40% reduction in fees).

To learn more about the financial assistance available and to see if you qualify, please visit our Financial Assistance page. For information on fees and registration, please contact UCLL at (734) 764-8440 or ucll@umich.edu.

Where do I park? 

UCLL provides valet service to reading intervention participants.

Remaining Questions?

If you have additional questions you would like to address before committing to our program, please contact us at UCLL@umich.edu or call (734) 764-8440 and we will be happy to answer them.