The Seton
Foundation for Learning
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The Seton Foundation for Learning is a not for
profit, non-sectarian corporation that supports special education
programs on Staten Island, New York. The foundation upon which this
organization was developed is the belief that early intervention for
children who are developmentally disabled can enable them to achieve
their full potential. It is further believed that continued intervention
in appropriate educational programs would enable each child to attain a
level of independence that will allow that child to contribute
appropriately to society. It is the goal of the Seton Foundation to
assure that our children are provided with the fundamental skills needed
to enter training programs for competitive employment and independent
living. This goal is attained through the provision of a strong
sequential educational and prevocational curriculum.
The Seton Foundation for Learning
was founded in February, 1985 through parental initiative, to establish
an alternate education setting and provide a positive learning
atmosphere for school aged children with special needs. The first class
for children 5 to 6 years of age opened in September 1986. Each
succeeding year a class was added, and in September, 1989, the
Intermediate Class serving students through 14 years of age was in
place. Long range plans for the school have always included the
development of a High School component, and this goal was attained with
the opening of the Bishop Patrick V. Ahern High School in September
1998. It was felt that this was an important objective to attain, as it
would provide our students with continuity in their education based on a
sound philosophy throughout their development.
The Seton Foundation provides
comprehensive educational services for children with special needs and
their families. Full time, certified, special education teachers provide
both group and individual instruction in all curriculum areas. The
primary objectives of the school are academic growth and development,
development of a positive self-image, social and emotional development,
communication skill development and the development of prevocational and
vocational skills. This philosophy enables movement from a dependent
co-active educational experience to an independent interactive
educational experience .The latter requires the child to participate in
activities that are self-monitoring.
While the children are
enrolled in self contained classrooms, they are provided with
opportunities throughout the day to be included with their age
appropriate peers in non-academic areas such as: music, art, physical
education, lunch, recess and assemblies. Several children are included
into the mainstream for academic subjects as well. This mainstreaming on
a daily basis with the children of the host school is a strong component
of our program and produces remarkable results in the full development
of our children. We consider it essential. A further benefit is the
humanizing affect it has upon the children of the host school, causing
them to be more understanding and compassionate in their attitude to
those endowed with fewer talents than they.
In addition to the individually
oriented instruction in the classroom, the children receive support
services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy,
physical therapy, counseling therapy, sign language instruction and
health as a related service, as mandated on their Individual Educational
Plan. Licensed professionals contracted through the New York City Board
of Education provide these support services in accord with the specified
frequency and duration of the child’s I.E.P.
We have made great strides since our
inception. Throughout the past sixteen years of operation, various types
of programs and projects have been implemented to enhance the scope of
learning for our children, including the implementation of
computer-assisted instruction. These experiences add to the child’s
overall ability to function in the mainstream of society.
The use of computer hardware and
teaching machines with programs and software designed for a discovery
approach to learning is a special feature of our program. Reinforcement
of academic and pre-academic skills occur through repetition and
variation of skills on the computer. Since minimal level competency on
the computer is an important aspect of the curriculum.
In addition to the formal classroom
activities, our children are provided with enrichment opportunities that
supplement the curriculum. The children participate in Training for
Independence program. This has been quite successful primarily because
it involves the families as their children develop their daily living
skills.
Students in the Intermediate class
participate in an Educational for Adulthood program twice weekly. Our
social worker runs individual and small group counseling sessions for
pre-adolescents and adolescents, focusing on adjusting to the physical
and emotional changes they are experiencing. In addition, regularly
scheduled parent group meetings are held to complement the curriculum
We have incorporated an
ice skating program into the physical education program. In addition to
the development of gross motor skills, balance and coordination, this
program has also served as a great reinforcement of tool for academic
learning and a motivational force for achievement in the classroom.
Our Special Athletics
program continues to run on the weekends. Throughout the school year we
sponsor three sports activities designed with special needs students in
mind. These activities include basketball, swimming and baseball. The
children are taught the fundamentals of each sport. The program is
designed to be instructional in nature, emphasizing the skills of
teamwork and light competition. Fun is the primary ingredient of and
overall philosophy is that everyone is a winner! While this program is
staffed entirely with volunteers, it owes its success to the wonderful
students from the St. Joseph Hill Academy who work one on one with our
students as part of the program.
In September, 1994 the
Seton Foundation began to meet the needs of developmentally disabled
children ages 2.9 to 5 years of age with the development of the Joan Ann
Kennedy Memorial Preschool. This program is a New York State Department
of Education approved evaluation and center based program for children
with moderate to severe delays and children who have been diagnosed with
syndromes on the autistic spectrum. The program operates in a barrier
free building and addresses the needs of ambulatory and non-ambulatory
children. We are in the planning stages for the construction of a new
facility for this program on the grounds of St. Joseph Hill Academy.
The new facility will be a” state of the art” building, which will be in
full compliance with all ADA regulations and will afford our students
many more opportunities for inclusion in general education settings.
The long-range plans of
Seton Foundation have always included the development of a high school
component to serve students 15 to 21 years of age. This was a most
important objective for us to attain, as it provides our students with
continuity in a well thought out education program from preschool to
high school.
This dream was realized
in September, 1998 when the Bishop Patrick V. Ahern High School opened
on the grounds of Moore Catholic High School in temporary space. The
construction of our own building on the campus of Moore Catholic was
completed in September. 1999. This program was designed to replicate the
model upon which the elementary school was designed, in that the
physical proximity to the existing high school campus allows for the
inclusion of our students in as many activities as are appropriate with
their peers in the mainstream. The curriculum is designed in such a way
that the students will continue to progress in academic skills at their
individual pace, as well as be provided with a strong vocational
program.
We recently renovated a
building on the grounds of St. Joseph Hill Academy for the relocation of
our elementary school program. This building allows us to have an
accessible building for our students. Previously the program was located
on the third floor of Immaculate Conception School. Many of our students
had difficulty negotiating the stairs several times a day, and thus we
felt we would more appropriately meet their needs in an alternate site.
We were offered the use of the Holy Infancy Bungalow on the grounds of
St. Joseph Hill Academy. The renovation was completed in the Fall, 2001.
The program was dedicated in memory of Mother Franciska, the foundress
of the Daughters of Divine Charity, who own and operate St. Joseph Hill
Academy.
In September 2005 we
will enroll the first students in the Therese Program for children whose
diagnoses place them on the autistic spectrum. This program will be a
multi-faceted program, and will afford three options for the students
enrolled, based on their individual learning needs. The students will
have the option to be in a self contained ABA classroom with a 6:1:1
ratio, or a special education classroom with a 12:1:1 ration with or
without their own para, or to be included in the general education
setting for all or part of the day. This program will be staffed by
fully certified and licensed professionals.
The Seton Foundation
works cooperatively with the Departments of Education and Speech at St.
John’s University and the Nursing Department of the College of Staten
Island (CUNY). We have become a field worksite for students enrolled in
special education classes, speech therapy classes, as well as those
pursuing dual certification upon graduation and those students enrolled
in classes toward their nursing degree. The students serve either as
service learning volunteers, supervised field placements or student
teachers. This is a mutually beneficial program, as it provides a hands
on learning laboratory for the college students, while providing Seton
Foundation with volunteer help to work one on one with our children.
In addition we share a
positive working relationship with other community agencies such as the
Committee on Special Education, S.I.M.H.S. Elizabeth W.Pouch Center for
Special People, and Institute for Basic Research in Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities (IBR). It is through this inter-agency
collaboration that we are able to enhance our services to our families.
The Seton Foundation is
affiliated with the Department of Education of the Archdiocese off New
York, from which it is granted its accreditation. The program is open to
children of all faiths and religions. We do not receive any direct
funding from the Archdiocese of New York.
The financial burden of
providing such a high caliber educational program for special needs
children is quite extensive and yet the per capita expense for our
program is one half that of a special education program in the public
sector. As we plan for the future, our dreams are limited by our
financial constraints. We have been successful in building our endowment
fund to $2.1 million, which assures the solvency and longevity of the
school. Each year our operating budget is our challenge. As we ask each
family to pay a modest tuition, we are constantly striving to raise
donations, sponsor fund raising events and seek grants. The Seton
Foundation elementary and high school components are funded solely
through grants, foundations and private individuals. |
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