INTRODUCTION OF MORNING STAR CENTER- THE CENTER FOR EARLY DETECTION AND INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND AUTISM
Morning Star Center is located at No. 6, Alley 9 Hoang Dao Thuy Street, Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi. Morning Star Center, directly under Vietnamese Relief Association for handicapped children, was founded on December 11, 1995 by Mrs. Do Thuy Lan, an outstanding doctor, a specialist in mental health therapy, former Vice Director of Hanoi Mental Health Hospital, Director of Mai Huong daycare mental health hospital, Vice-president (1st & 2nd period) and a member of the Executive Board of Vietnamese Relief Association for handicapped children.
Morning Star Center is a non-profit social enterprise which provides consultancy, early detection, early intervention and care for children with intellectual disabilities (ID) and autism via combinations between medication and education.
I. Mission – Vision - Core Values
1. Mission
- In terms of expertise: Provide a high-quality service system of EDI with the aim of changing the living standards of intellectually disabled and austistic children in order to help them socially integrate into the society.
- In terms of society: Change people’s awareness about abilities of chidlren with intellectual disabilities and autism.
2.Vision
- Enhance training for teachers, therapists; expand and develop the services of meditation and education for children with ID and autism.
- Advocate policies in protecting rights of health care and education for children with ID and autism
3. Core values: Trust – Humanity – Wisdom.
- Trust: The center attaches much importance to trustworthiness; we always prepare ourselves to be competent and make all efforts to fulfill our commitment.
- Humanity: Humanity is the foundation of the center; our ultimate goal is “children today for the world tomorrow”. Children are at the center of effective diagnosis and intervention activities.
- Wisdom: The center considers creativity as vital and a motive for development; we highly appriciate spirit of learning. Make the center become “a place where staff continuously studies.”
4. Logo
5. Slogan
Accompanying with parents, steadily steps into the future.
II. History of foundation and development
The first location of the center was a rent house in Alley 15, Doi Can Street with 2 teachers and 15 students.
In 1997, we moved to a fourth-grade house in Alley 392, Bach Mai Street, lended by Bach Mai Primary school. Thanks to the goodwill of ladies from International women club, the house was sponsored to be repaired and renovated into a house with 2 classrooms, a kitchen and a restroom.
In 1999, due to an increasing demand for intervention in children with development disorders, the center launched a new branch on Nghia Tan street. Two branches had a total of 40 students and 7 emloyees.
In 2000, with a strategic vision, the center employed two teachers graduating from the first training course in special education in Vietnam, which was provided by Holland Committee II in cooperation with Hanoi University of Education. The year 2000 marked the success of a series projects at Morning Star Center – originally a project of Vietnam PLAN Organization from 2000 to 2004. During that year, we provided training for parents and public health volunteers (retired people, veterans, people from Red Cross Organization, Women Association and healthcare centers).
In 2002, with 400,000 USD sponsored by Atlantic Philanthropies Organization, New York, the headquater of Morning Star Center was constructed at No. 6, Alley 9 Hoang Dao Thuy Street, Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi with an area of 866 m2 provided by Hanoi People’s Committee.
In 2004, Denmark LEV Project: from 2004 to 2012, trained and established parents’ association of Morning Star Center. Besides, with Danish experts, the project
- Set up two associations of parents of intellectually disabled children in Ha Noi and Hung Yen province. Supported vocational training and provided training for leaders of the associations about methods and an agenda of the associations in order to share knowledge, learn and approach early intervention services.
- Established Associations of parents of children with intellectual disabilities and Center for Supporting families of children with intellectual disabilities.
In 2005, Medical and Scientific Aid for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia sponsored an electrocardiograph machine, an audiometer and an iris scanner for the clinic of the center as well as teaching materials, desks and tables for halls. When the headquater was launched, the Nghia Tan branch was moved to the new building. This is also the year marking the professionalism-oriented development of the center. We started to form the center’s organizing mechanism including:
- Management Board
- Administration – finance Office
- Education Administration Office
- Clinic
Director and head of administration and finance department and the therapists at the opening ceremony of new school year
In 2006, a Party Cell & Youth Union of the center was established under the Party Committee of Nhân Chính commune. The number of members has increased from 3 to 11.
From 2007 to 2010, teachers constantly received training courses to enhance expertise: Ann Gardner, former director of Center for early intervention for autistic children in the United Kingdom gave training for 1 year. Peter Thomas, an UK expert working with children having intellectual disabilities and autism gave training for 2.5 years. Kim Sander, a Holland expert on speech therapy gave professional training for 12 teachers. With missions identified, the center conducted projects in cooperation with Medisch Comité Nederland Vietnam MCNV, gave training for teachers and medical staff in 4 provinces namely Phu Yen, Quang Tri, Cao Bang, Dac Lac.
In 2010, Bach Mai branch was moved to the headquarters at No. 6 Alley 9 Hoang Dao Thuy Street – the only location. The total number of students at the moment is 60 students & 35 staff members. This year is also an important mark in training, the center has trained 7 key teachers to train other practical teachers for the center as well as for other early intervention centers in Hanoi & nearby provinces. Furthermore, the center maintains training activities from experts to elevate the quality of intervention for children with intellectual disabilities and autism. In 2011, UK occupational therapist expert Beth Smart gave one-year training for teachers here. They also attend regular training courses:
- Dutch, Australian, Danish, Irish & American experts organize short trainings (4-7 days) on topics required by the center.
- Project Vietnam by Dr. Quynh Kieu – a Vietnamese expat along with American experts annually come to Vietnam for training and sharing about diagnosis & treatment of disorders in autistic children.
In 2012 - 2015, the total number of staff is 90, at the end of 2015, the center terminated contracts with some teachers who were not qualified enough to recruit and train new staff.
Teachers were sent on short trainings (1-2 days) organized by experts from Special Education Department of Hanoi University of Education.
The director and the teachers on the 5th floor at the 20th establishment ceremony of the center.
In 2015, key teachers trained 10 other teachers for other centers: Center of research and support for community development Hai Phong; Social work center at Yen Thanh, Nghe An; Thuy An center at Ba Vi; Mental health hospital TW1, Khanh Hoa Mental health hospital & 2 homeschool tutors. In the fourth quarter of the year, the center terminated contracts with some teachers who were not qualified enough.
In 2016, after 10 years, the center fixed and renovated the facilities, purchase many equipment to meet the increasing demand of parents and to provide the best support for intervention of children with 18 classrooms, 16 individual speech therapy rooms, 2 EDSM individual therapy rooms, 1 individual motor therapy room, 1 sensory individual therapy, 1 art therapy room for potential kids, 1psymotor room, 1 swimming pool with a hot tub and a cool pool, 1 playground with roof, 1 vegetables garden for children to visit and study, 1 café, 1 glasshouse for automatic planting of fresh sprout beans for bigger kids to learn living skills and pre-vocational training, 1 16-seated bus for transport during children’s picnics.
At the moment, the center now has 185 – 200 students at the center and 8 students in hour - based intervention service and 85 staff. The organizational system is now better and better.
- Management board
- Department of administration and finance
- Deparatment of educational affairs: manage the intervention programs, the activities of training, clinic and consultancy.
- The group of teachers for individual therapy ( ESDM therapy, speech therapy, motor therapy, sensory therapy, art therapy)
- The group of teachers in charge of the classes.
