Some children have emotional, social and behavioral issues that make it difficult for them to succeed in a public school setting. For this reason, The Providence Center operates a unique school that is fully licensed by the Department of Education in the area of special education programming. The Providence Center School serves children and adolescents, from pre-school through high school, who have been referred by local public schools across the state.

A SAFE AND POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

To create a safe and positive learning environment, we keep our classes small, usually averaging eight students per teacher and teacher assistant team.  Teachers create warm, accepting classrooms full of age-appropriate materials and activities that encourage and support learning success. 

In every classroom, the teaching and learning philosophy is evident in three critical areas:

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Teachers and clinicians discover the learning style, behavioral supports and problem solving techniques that work for each child by building individual relationships with their students. We strive to build a Circle of Support in school and in the community that encourages students to rely on positive relationships for support.

PROBLEM SOLVING
Behavioral supports, strategies presented in the classroom, social skills groups and individualized behavior intervention plans help children learn how to use socially and age appropriate solutions to the problems they encounter in school and in their lives outside of school.

PREDICTABILITY AND CHOICE
Students learn about expected school and social behavior and about the specific, predictable consequences of their behaviors. Our belief is that appropriate behavior needs to be encouraged, recognized and rewarded in positive ways. Choice plays a major role in the classroom. When problems arise, staff encourages students to explore a variety of positive alternatives, empowering them to choose appropriate solutions.

In addition to each classroom’s psycho-educational curriculum, which is designed by a team of certified teachers and clinicians, students have Individual Education Plans (IEP) that includes input from parents, advocates and the local education agency. TPCS has services which include speech and language therapies, occupational therapy, tri-annual evaluations, vocational programs and social skills groups. The ultimate goal is to prepare students to enter or re-enter community public school settings, transfer to less restrictive programs, graduate from High School, enroll in higher education or to enter the workforce.