Director, Interdisciplinary Center
for Child Development
Rhonda Kontner’s first day of school was exciting.
In July, she was named the director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Child Development (ICCD), a special school for disabled students. The center runs two pre-schools — one in Bayside and the other in Rego Park.
Kontner said she was drawn to the ICCD because of its unique program and its support and services for children with both physical and mental disabilities.
The preschools feature classrooms in which half of the students are disabled and the other half have no disability, Kontner said. This makes the classroom an interesting environment because the non-disabled students end up being role models for their classmates.
The point in having the mixed preschool enrollment is to allow disabled students to get a head-start on learning, Kontner said. This way they are less dependent on special services when they enter a primary school.
While there are programs similar to the ICCD across the state, Kontner said the program stands out because the entire school population is blended.
Kontner received her undergraduate degree in early childhood education from Brooklyn College. She then got a masters degree in special education and another in school psychology from Queens College. “I’ve always wanted to help children who had difficulty,” she said.
Kontner is married and has three children, ages 22, 19, and 12. In her free time she is very involved in her community of Floral Park. She is president of the Royal Ranch Civic Association, and also serves as vice president of her temple and is a coach for boys’ little league.
