Schools for Children, Inc.

While SFC's branding has changed, our core values remain the same: Achievement: The expectation that students achieve academic success, expand intellectual curiosity, realize social and emotional gains, and increase self-confidence. Collaboration: The belief that collaboration, which includes and values the perspective of all, creates the highest quality educational opportunity for each student. Creativity: The commitment to incorporate innovative and effective approaches into its work while creating a sense of joy and discovery to ensure individual student achievement and engagement to realize personal potential. Respect: The promise to educate students in schools and programs where the differences, points of view, and contributions of all are valued, encouraged and nurtured. Tenacity: The pledge to sustain a community with the expertise, passion, integrity, and drive to ensure each student’s personal success.

At Dearborn Academy, a program of Schools for Children, faculty found that students with individual plans to turn in their phones to a staff member each day were happier, more connected, and experienced better learning outcomes compared to their peers who frequently used phones in school. This finding prompted further research into other schools that had adopted a cell phone-free policy. In September, Dearborn implemented a new cell phone policy to limit distractions and promote a more focused learning environment for all students. The results and feedback have been remarkably positive, with students and families embracing the program from the beginning. Read the full article at: https://lnkd.in/enbbTVwg

"The STEP program embraces all students as individuals and is committed to providing them with an environment of acceptance, respect, and curiosity. Our caring, highly trained staff develop academic, clinical, and milieu programming tailored to the unique needs of each student. Through a rigorous, comprehensive assessment, we gain a holistic understanding of each student. We collaborate with students, caregivers, district partners, treatment providers, and others to understand the strengths and challenges of each student. Our goal is to provide an integrated understanding of students’ academic and clinical needs to help them function successfully in an academic setting. At STEP, we value authenticity and curiosity. We encourage our students to be their authentic selves, and our approach is one of genuine curiosity. Every student should be seen for who they truly are." Scott McGinn Director

The notion of serving a wide range of children – including those who need specialized services – is encoded in the very articles of the organization that created Schools for Children in 1981 and has become the core of who we are today. We have always been committed to building and growing schools where learning takes many forms – and respects the needs and talents of the children we serve.

Schools for Children operates five unique schools and educational programs, including Winn Brook Extended Learning in Belmont, which, like all of our programs, is designed to meet the unique learning needs of their students in a supportive community.

Through Lesley Ellis School, our premier independent day school in Arlington, Schools for Children provides innovative, distinctive programming responsive to the individual needs of students, nested in a caring community that holds high expectations, characterized by creative expression, inclusivity, and anti-bias education. ? Lesley Ellis School has a rich history of innovation in early childhood and elementary education, originating from the Cambridge School for Girls founded in 1886. The school was purchased by Lesley College (now Lesley University) and became Lesley Ellis School in 1949. Initially a demonstration school for Lesley College, Lesley Ellis trained student teachers to write and practice curriculum within a creative and developmental construct. In 1981, Lesley Ellis became part of the independent nonprofit Schools for Children, reinforcing its mission to provide individualized education within a developmental framework.

Schools for Children operates two therapeutic day schools: Seaport Academy in Chelsea and Dearborn Academy in Newton, as well as Dearborn STEP (Short Term Educational Placement), a therapeutic assessment school located in the same building as Dearborn Academy in Newton. Each program offers specialized instruction in a joyful, caring, diverse, and empowering environment with therapeutic support in partnership with caregivers and school districts – enabling students to achieve their full potential.

"Schools for Children prides itself in creating school communities that are responsive to the individual needs of its students. Since no one model best matches the needs of all students, we have strived to create distinctive schools characterized by varied learning methodologies targeted to specific student populations. Each of the five schools currently under our umbrella represents an effort to transform learning by offering programs that constitute the right fit for its unique set of students." - Dr. Paul Stein Executive Director Schools for Children

As an organization dedicated to a wide range of schools and educational programming, we have created a mission graphic to explain the scope of our efforts. On behalf of Schools for Children, and our individual schools (Dearborn Academy, Seaport Academy, Lesley Ellis School, Dearborn STEP, and Winn Brook Extended Learning), we invite you to connect with and join us in our mission.

Schools for Children has a new look! Read more about our rebrand and what inspired us! Many thanks to the amazing design team at?Talooka Studio?for their work on this project!