Program Overview

The Children’s Center of Monmouth County offers education services, behavioral support, adaptive daily living instruction and pre-vocational training for students ages 3 to 21.  Our population includes students with autism, autistic like tendencies, developmental and multiple disabilities.

The Children’s Center provides each student with a functionally based academic curriculum, as dictated by the student’s IEP (Individualized Educational Plan).  Included within a functional curriculum are the skills that are ultimately needed to successfully participate, to the fullest extent possible, in the community.  This includes self-regulation strategies, social skills, work site skills and independent living.

The staff utilizes a collaborative model to enhance the delivery of services.  Teachers and related services therapists, including speech, occupational and physical therapy, work together to develop and implement a student’s individualized education program.  In this joint effort, everyone working with the student takes responsibility for each of the objectives selected.  This model allows for natural generalization of skills and valuable training for all staff regarding the essential strategies needed to assist a student in reaching their optimal level.  Related service delivery can be provided in individual or group sessions based upon the student’s IEP requirements.

In addition to the classroom curriculum, the Children’s Center provides an additional of extracurricular activities.  Students participate in art and music activities as well as physical education on a weekly basis.  Students also have the opportunity to participate in outdoor movement activities on a daily basis as appropriate for the classroom.  In addition, students have the option to participate in our indoor swim program as well.

The Children’s Center also offers community integration opportunities and structured learning  experiences to foster the development of life skills and work based instruction.  These include shopping excursions, use of community resources, training in the use of community recreational and leisure opportunities as well as job site opportunities as appropriate.

Staffing

The Children’s Center is approved by the New Jersey Department of Education and staffed by certified personnel.  Classroom instruction is provided by appropriately certified Teachers of Students with Disabilities and instructional assistants.  Our student-to-staff ratios range from 2-3:1.  All related service staff members are fully certified within their specialty field and licensed  with the New Jersey Department of Consumer Affairs.

School Facilities

The school facilities are adapted to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.  Our beautifully manicured campus boasts a preschool, elementary school, adolescent/middle school and high school.  Many of our classrooms are adapted to meet the needs of students with more involved medical needs.

Additionally, the program includes:

• Stocked treatment rooms for occupational, speech, and physical therapy; treatment rooms are frequently assessed to ensure materials & equipment are state of the art
• Outdoor leisure and play facilities
• Nature Trail
• Fully equipped health offices in each building
• Private offices for meetings and conferences
• Augmentative communication / device library
• Video surveillance throughout the buildings
• Pre-vocational room
• Art room
• Refrigerators and microwaves in each classroom
• Individual student iPads
• Smartboards in classrooms
• Gymnasium supplied with variety of adapted equipment
• Recreation Center / Game Room / Playroom
• Mock Apartment
• Snoezelen Room