This Ties That Bind Us is sponsored by Matt The Carpet Guy.
LEWES, Del. — Imagine not being able to tell someone what you're thinking or feeling, or struggling to learn with an invisible barrier no one else can see. That's the daily experience for many children with communicative disabilities — and it's exactly who Children’s Beach House in Lewes is working to help.
From the outside, the building sits quietly beyond the dunes with a beautiful bay view. But inside, the classrooms are alive with energy — laughter, learning, and connection between students of all kinds. Some children are verbal, some are not, but all are growing in a supportive environment built to help them thrive.
“The kids who have a delay in speech [...] learn faster from those kids who are typically developing than they do from anything we can do,” said Richard Garrett, executive director of Children’s Beach House. “And the kids who are typically developing can learn some empathy and some coping skills when they talk with kids who are different. So it's a win-win for everybody.”
The school doesn’t just serve preschoolers. It offers after-school programs and summer camps that stretch all the way through high school — long-term support designed to help children find their voice, emotionally and mentally, not just verbally.
Children’s Beach House was founded nearly 90 years ago by Lydia Chichester DuPont. Garrett said she began the program after finding comfort from her own childhood health challenges at the beach in Rehoboth, and wanted other children to feel that same healing power of the sea air, salt, and sunshine.
Today, Children’s Beach House continues to support under-resourced families and children with communicative disabilities, thanks in part to fundraising events like its annual gala, which will be held this Saturday.
“Anybody can support Children’s Beach House simply by jumping online or giving us a call and supporting our work financially,” Garrett said. “We also can engage volunteers. The work really is about relationships… and there are lots of ways people can jump in and help."
Children’s Beach House is giving children the tools to navigate life — one crayon, one story, and one relationship at a time.