Leap to Teacher (LTT) Program
LEAP to Teacher (LTT) is a collaborative program between the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) and 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 to all school and daycare workers pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree to advance their careers in teaching or any other field of study at Lehman and other partnering CUNY colleges.
Eligibility
To be part of the LTT program at Lehman College and receive free services, you must be:
- Currently working in a school or daycare setting.
- Attending or planning to apply to an undergraduate or graduate program at Lehman College
Join LTT at Lehman College
For prospective students interested in applying to Lehman College:
- 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 Lehman College students:
- Join the LTT Program by filling out our LTT Program Registration Form, or contact Dr. Pablo Perez, pablo.perez@slu.cuny.edu or Call/Text: 201-839-0054.
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 NYCPS 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 NYCPS 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 Public Schools. 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 once a year and will be announced two months earlier than its deadline. 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) and CST- Students with Disabilities. These workshops provide an opportunity to get support to successfully pass the certification exam. If you are a current LTT student, you get emails for workshop registration throughout the semester.
Contact Dr. Pablo Prez, your LTT coordinator, for more information and registration information.
3. NY State Required workshops
LTT also offered free required workshops for current LTT students who need them.
- Dignity for All students ACT (DASA)training
- Child Abuse Identification and reporting
- School violence prevention and intervention
4. NYCPS Paraprofessional Student Teaching Leave of Absence Program
The NYCPS provides eligible paraprofessionals with a paid leave of absence (LOA) to complete New York State student teaching requirements. Full-time paraprofessionals have access to NYCPS, UFT and SISP support and applications for this program. To learn of NYCPS Leave of Absence (LOA) eligibility, visit the NYCPS Scholarships, Incentives and Special Programs (SISP) page. Paraprofessionals complete the online leave of absence application in their own NYCPS portal. ELIGIBILITY for an approved LOA is determined by the student’s NYCPS 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 NYCPS 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.
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)
