Leap to Teacher (LTT) Program

LEAP to Teacher (LTT) is a collaborative program between the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) and seven CUNY partnering colleges, including Lehman College. The LTT program's mission is to empower participants to become more effective in their schools and more impactful in their communities. LTT provides a set of free specialized support services for United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and District Council 37 (DC37) paraprofessionals, teachers, daycare workers, and other school personnel. Participants can pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees to advance their careers in teaching or any other field of study.

Eligibility

• To be part of the LTT program at Lehman College and receive free services, you must be:
• A UFT or DC37 paraprofessional, assistant teacher, substitute teacher, daycare worker or other school personnel
  Attending or planning to apply to an undergraduate or graduate program at Lehman College

Join LTT at Lehman College

For prospective students:

• Sign up and attend one of our monthly LTT open house sessions, or
• Fill out the inquiry form, and our program specialists will contact you to set up a zoom or in-person meeting to answer your questions.

For current students:

• Join the LTT Program by filling out our LTT Program Registration Form, or contact Dr. Pablo Perez

LTT Support Services, Workshops & Scholarships

Prospective Student Interested in Applying to Lehman College can receive:

• Pre-college preparation classes
• Pre-admission advisement
• Assistance with financial aid, grant opportunities and scholarship.
• Information on DOE vouchers and reimbursement program.

Current Lehman Student will receive College and Career Support and more:

• Academic advisement from admission to graduation
• One-on-one writing support.
• Online student success workshops
• Career advisement
• Assistance with financial aid, grant opportunities and scholarship.
• Information on DOE vouchers and reimbursement program

LTT Students Pursuing New York State Teacher Certification at Lehman College

1. SLU LEAP to Teacher Scholarship

This scholarship was created to assist Paraprofessionals/Teaching Assistants employed with the NYC Department of Education. Applicants must be admitted and enrolled as a Lehman College graduate student in a NYC teacher shortage area including Special Education, TESOL, Math and Science. The LTT scholarship is offered only for the Fall semesters and will be announced during summer session. Please note the teacher shortage areas are subject to change based on the New York City Department of Education needs. For more information, please contact Dr. Pablo Perez.

2. NY State Teacher Certification Exam Prep Workshops

For LTT Lehman education students pursuing New York State teacher certification, the LTT program will host free virtual preparatory workshops for the Educating All Students Test (EAS) and the Multi-subject Content Specialty Test (CST). These workshops provide an opportunity to get support to successfully pass the certification exam.

If you are already enrolled in LTT, click the exam you are interested in for dates, times, and registration links or speak with our LTT coordinator for more information.

• Educating All Students (EAS)
• Combined Early Childhood and Childhood Multi-Subject (CST) grades K-6th
• Content Specialty Test (CST) – Students with Disabilities

3. NYCDOE Paraprofessional Student Teaching Leave of Absence Program

The NYCDOE provides eligible paraprofessionals with a paid leave of absence (LOA) to complete New York State student teaching requirements.* Full-time paraprofessionals have access to NYCDOE, UFT and SISP support and applications for this program. To learn of NYCDOE Leave of Absence (LOA) eligibility, visit the NYCDOE Scholarships, Incentives and Special Programs (SISP) page. Paraprofessionals complete the online leave of absence application in their own NYCDOE portal. ELIGIBILITY for an approved LOA is determined by the student’s NYCDOE application only.

In addition to applying for the LOA, Lehman College paraprofessionals completing teacher certification degrees need to:

• Confirm she/he only has the student teaching experience with seminar and supervision courses remaining to complete her/his degree.
• Apply for Lehman College student teaching a full-semester in advance of final degree semester (April 1 for Fall, November 1 for Spring). This includes completing a Lehman College Interest Form and an official Lehman 360 Teaching Application.
• Request a Lehman College LOA Support letter (click link for online form). The letter will be required for the NYCDOE application.

  When advised, send Lehman College transcripts to:
  New York City Department of Education
  Scholarships, Incentives, and Speech Programs
  65 Court Street, Room 508
  Brooklyn, New York 11201
  Attn: Paraprofessional to Teacher Leave of Absence Program (Ms. Maria Tejada)

• Meet with LTT Staff or write to the Office of Clinical Practice & Partnerships (clinical.practice@lehman.cuny.edu) and plan to visit Open Office Hours if questions.

*NOTE: If you are officially approved by the NYCDOE for a Leave of Absence, you remain on your paraprofessional payroll through the entire leave of absence. The principal/school will receive a budget to hire a substitute paraprofessional while you are on your LOA.

LTT Staff:

Dr. Pablo Perez, LTT Program Specialist
Email: Pablo.Perez@lehman.cuny.edu
Office: Carman Hall 176, Phone: 718-960-8857, Call/Text: 201-839-0054

Dr. Michael Shapiro, LTT Advisor and Instructor

Sonia Bernstein, Writing Specialist, Embedded Writing Support Project

Location: 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West
Carman Hall, Room 176
Bronx, NY 10468

(In-person visits use the Carman Hall Goulden side/south staircase or through the cafeteria)

Left to Right: Pablo Perez, LTT Program Specialist; Dean Rene Parmar, School of Education; Interim Associate Dean Zoila Morell, School of Educaytion; Maryam (Sara) Esfarayeni, Director; Sonia Bernstein, Writing Specialist and Karen Fairclough, Director of Operation, School of Education.