A nonprofit organization or not-for-profit organization (NPO) is an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals rather than distributing them as profits or dividends. Nonprofit is not synonymous with free, nonprofits are permitted to generate surplus revenue, but they must be retained by the organization for its self-preservation, expansion, or plans. NPOs have controlling members or boards. Nonprofits also have paid staff including management, while others employ unpaid volunteers and even executives who work with or without compensation.

Seahorse Institute is a registered Bahamian non-profit. Seahorse Institute has a voluntary Board of Directors who provides governance and resources. Seahorse Institute receives no government funding and relies upon tuition and donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Seahorse Institute partners with Seahorse Children’s Foundation, a registered 501c3 in the US.

Seahorse Institute relies upon financial contributions from Individuals, Corporations and Foundations to support scholarships, specialized educational equipment and other costs associated with the clinical treatment of the children. Based on need, Seahorse Institute also accepts donations of equipment and technical expertise. To make a donation to support Seahorse Institute efforts you can click here for online options or send a check to P.O. Box SS19407, Nassau, Bahamas. For more information please contact us at 242-676- 6780. Our Current: We can include the needs as stipulated on the fundraising slideshow here / perhaps have a tab called ‘Special Projects’ on the website where we can periodically add information on needs as they arise. For example; current need would be building repairs, painting, specialized equipment and teaching materials for our move next door.

No specific diagnosis is required for enrollment at Seahorse Institute. We have children with a variety of developmental disabilities attending Seahorse Institute. The label of the diagnosis is far less important to us in comparison to meeting the individual needs of the child.

No, Seahorse Institute only provides day programs.

Tuition is charged because each child has an individualized program provided in a one-to-one or three-to-one environment. The majority of our operating budget goes directly towards our staff salaries and related staffing costs. The actual cost to provide our intensive individualized programs exceeds the amount of tuition.

Yes, Seahorse Institute does provide scholarships. All scholarships are provided on a need basis and are only available based on funding that has been privately raised.

No, Seahorse Institute children have a range of communication abilities.

Yes, social interaction is a goal in each of our programs. We aim to raise our children to a level where they can interact with each other as well as other children. Through this program our children are engaged by and encouraged to interact with kids different from them.

Yes, speech therapy services are available to all of our students through The Caribbean Center for Child Development. Staff at Seahorse Institute implement recommendations and strategies of OT and SLT throughout the day.

Seahorse Institute programs begin at 9:00am. The Hope Intensive program has 2 sessions per day, 9:00am – 12:00noon and 1:00pm – 4:00pm. The Let’s Talk program runs from 9:00am - 12:30pm and the Spirit Program is from 12:30pm – 4:00pm. Seahorse Institute is a year round institute with a two week break over Christmas and New Year.

Seahorse Institute operates on a first come, first served basis. Enrollment openings depend on availability in the programs appropriate for the student. Should we not be able to accommodate you immediately, you will be added to a waiting list and receive services as soon as there is an opening in the program of choice.

Children are assessed based on their needs, current functioning level, and spaces available at the institute to meet their needs.

Seahorse Institute recruits Instructors with a Bachelors Degree, preferably in education and/or psychology. All instructors are trained in the curriculums being used in their Programs as well as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Verbal Behavior (VB) and proven techniques. There are also regularly scheduled in-house training sessions to ensure ongoing Instructors development.

That depends on the child; a child may be enrolled at Seahorse Institute for as long as they need to be here, but some may be enrolled for one and others three years. We work to equip children with the skills that will make them more successful in a more typical learning environment. Most children will not have one-to- one instruction for their entire educational career. Our goal is to give children the intensive individualized instruction that can heighten their ability to gain skills and become good learners.

Seahorse Institute was established to meet the growing academic, clinical and social needs of children living with developmental delays and disabilities in the Bahamas. Seahorse Institute was originally established as a division of the Caribbean Center for Child Development. As of 2012 both organizations operate as separate entities. Seahorse Institute has its own governing board and is a registered Bahamian nonprofit. Caribbean Center for Child Development is a for profit organization. Each organization runs separately, though Caribbean Center for Child Development does donate a percentage of their profits to Seahorse Institute. Also, Seahorse Institute shares clinical resources with Caribbean Center, such as psychiatrists, speech and language therapists and behavior analysts.