Arbor History
The
Arbor School was founded as The Arbor Pre-School in 1988 by Suzanne Cuthbertson,
her husband, James, and her daughter, Jeanine Bird. When she retired as
Director of Special Services from the Spring Independent School District,
Mrs. Cuthbertson recognized that there was a significant gap in intensive,
educational services for young children with developmental delays; especially
from birth to age three.
Using personal funds, the Cuthbertson and Bird families rented the School’s first building. Until 1993, all expenses not covered by tuition were paid by the Cuthbertson and Bird families.
In 1992, the School was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In 1993, the first Development Board was established. The Arbor has continued to grow and, because of the ever-present demand for intensive special education services, currently serves children from birth through age thirteen, and plans to expand the program through age 18.
In June 2004, Dr. Charles Meisgeier, formally Head of Special Education at the University of Houston for many years and a nationally recognized authority in special education, was appointed Director of The Arbor. Since that time, The Arbor has expanded its program to include an emphasis on the education of young Autistic/PDD children, and we are currently planning a move into a new state of the art school building.
