Middle School thru 21

Placement is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team decision.

Bradley Schools are private, school-funded, educational programs for children and adolescents whose psychiatric and behavioral needs cannot be met in a public school setting.

School is centrally located in Providence. This site also has Partnership classrooms, staffed and supervised by Bradley School personnel, in North Providence, Johnston, and North Smithfield public schools.

Career Readiness Academy offers assessments and experiences to prepare high school students for life after graduation.

IEP team decision

Inclusive early childhood program link

Kids Connect Agency

Special education grade school link

Extended school year

Specialized nursing staff

Director, Pat Krakowsky 401-942-2388 x 110

Cornerstone is a small, year-round private special education school that includes an integrated early childhood program and grade school program.

Special Education School. Complex learners in kindergarten - 8th grade.

The Wolf School has dual approval by the Rhode Island Department of Education as an Independent School and a Special Education Program. The school follows the standards of core grade-level skills for language arts, math, social studies and science. Our curriculum encompasses a rigorous blend of academic subjects and intensive therapeutic support that addresses three major learning challenges: language processing/production, sensory regulation, and socially effective communication. The Wolf School Immersion Model© integrates therapeutic support within the entire curriculum throughout the day in each classroom.

Harmony Hill School (HHS) provides an array of services to biological males ages 13-18 who require residential treatment. HHS also provides a Day treatment program for biological males ages 8-18 who are in grades k-12 and require regular or special education.

Kindergarten thru Grade 12.

The Spurwink School provides integrated special education, behavioral and therapeutic services in a community-based setting since 1982.

Referrals

Statewide Local Education Authorities should direct all inquiries and referral packets to:

Carleen Bellaire, M.Ed

Cbellairel@spurwinkri.org

Ocean Tides Narragansett School, our main campus, is a residential school for boys, grades 7-12.

Program Link

• Positive behavior program and multiple positive behavioral supports, including stipends paid to students.
• A small school atmosphere - four to twelve students per class
  Individualized instruction based on IEP’s
• Career to Work - experience and work study at all grade levels
  Individual and / or group counseling.

The Narragansett Campus offers Career/Technical education in areas such as: Culinary Arts, Carpentry/Building Maintenance, Landscape Design, Auto Detailing, Cosmetology, Horticulture, Small Engines, Woodturning, and Woodworking, Auto CAD, HTML-Web Page Design, and Video Production.

Ocean Tides is partnered with the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) for the areas of Engineering and Technology.

Ocean Tides is Lasallian school and residential program that is committed to providing a challenging, safe and healthy learning environment designed to meet the social, emotional, behavioral, and intellectual needs of each individual.

Additional day program located in Providence is listed separately.
Ocean Tides School Providence
260 Highland Avenue
Providence RI

Students can be referred to the campus school by Local Education Agencies to attend as a day student, if they meet special education criteria.

Students are also enrolled through the St. Mary’s residential program.

We provide highly structured, individualized instruction and therapeutic services to students with learning, social, emotional, and behavioral challenges in our George N. Hunt Campus School. For more information, contact Marty Morris, School Administrator, at 353-3900 Ext. 259 or emailmmorris@gnhcs.net.

Since 1877, St. Mary’s has been caring for Rhode Island’s children. We are a non-profit agency offering comprehensive treatment programs for boys and girls traumatized by abuse or experiencing the challenges of psychiatric disorders. Children are treated and cared for in the residential, educational and out-patient programs located in North Providence, Rhode Island.

Additional information on programs available at St. Mary's Home for Children in separate listing. 

5th - 12th grades

Our work is rooted in the idea of home-grown hope made possible by providing support to youth and their families within their homes and communities.

Preserving Families Network (PFN)
Youth Transition Center (YTC)
Clinical and Enhanced Outpatient Services
Youth Outreach Program (YOP)
Tides Outreach Program (TOP)
Tides Schools

Children’s Mobile Crisis Response (CMCR)

Believe in Making Results Program (BMR)

Functional Family Therapy (FFT)

Tides is a non-traditional agency unlike any other. Our “no-walls” philosophy puts us in the heart of neighborhoods our clients live in—the most distressed and poverty-stricken areas of Rhode Island.

By extending our services to the entire family, we’re able to keep a large percentage of youth at home and out of residential programs and group homes. This leads to a higher rate of school achievement, and offers a much greater chance for youth to reach their potential.

Our community-based programs service these youth, aged 6-21, and we’re there for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Our programs include strength-based counseling, structured recreation, cognitive behavioral therapy, after-school programming, and two small, licensed schools.

We strive to provide state-of-the-art teaching and clinical/behavioral care to ensure that all students are able to learn to their greatest potential. Our special education teachers, classroom behavior specialists, and occupational and speech/language therapists all have specialized training in supporting the special needs of diverse learners.

Our clinical psychologists and social workers guide the classroom teams to ensure that students’ social-emotional needs are met and that staff training and support are provided.

Special Education School ages 7-21

The High Road School of Providence serves the instructional and behavioral needs of students with a variety of social, emotional and learning needs in a supportive and structured environment.

• Early Head Start (Birth - Age 3)
• Early Intervention (Birth - Age 3)
• Early Learning Center (6 weeks - 5 years)
• Healthy Families America (Birth - Age 3)
• RI State Pre-Kindergarten (Age 4)
• WIC (Supplemental Nutrition, Prenatal - Age 5)

Meeting Street is where children of all ages and abilities receive individualized attention from highly trained, dedicated educators, therapists, and staff who work as a team, sharing strategies and identifying solutions to bring out the best in each and every child.

At Meeting Street we believe in the power of inclusion and foster it in all we do. Our goal is to create an environment, and ultimately a world, where individuals of all abilities learn, play, work, and live together.

Information on Meeting Street Early Intervention Program and The Grace School are listed separately in the directory.

• Classrooms with no more than 8 children
• Individualized programming
• Full-day preschool and kindergarten
• Individual counseling
• Groups social skills training
• Diagnostic testing (educational, cognitive, neuropsychological, speech/language, occupational therapy, psychiatric)
• Nursing services and medication management
• Family support and counseling
• 45-day summer program

Certified as a regular- and special-education facility, it is one of the first such programs in RI. Dual certification promotes ‘inclusion’ classrooms that include students a range of abilities. Children who meet their goals and may no longer require an IEP can therefore remain with the same teacher and set of peers.

The Ocean Tides School Providence Campus is an alternative day school for students in grades seven through twelve.

The Providence Campus offers a certified special education program and a career/technical education program. The student body at the Providence Campus is comprised of students referred by their school district for educational purposes (both regular and special education) and career/technical training.

The Ocean Tides School offers Career/Technical education at the Providence Campus. Students are involved in areas such as: Culinary Arts, Carpentry/Woodworking, Landscape Design, Engineering, and Technology. Ocean Tides is partnered with the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) for the areas of Engineering and Technology.

The Ocean Tides School Providence Campus is an alternative day school for students in grades seven through twelve. Offering a full high school Rhode Island Regents diploma, the school is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Ocean Tides Narragansett campus is listed separately.

K-12 for medically fragile students

Tavares Pediatric Center is a Medicaid Certified 30 Bed Intermediate Care Facility located in Providence, RI, with service to the surrounding community. Tavares Pediatric Center is certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

The Day Program serves children and youth between the ages of 3 and 21. The residential program serves adolescents between the ages of 12 and 21 from Rhode Island and other neighboring states.

At the Groden Network, we believe that education is vital to building confidence, independence, and self-esteem. The Groden Day School, located on the East Side of Providence, offers a broad range of individualized services in a traditional, unrestrictive setting to empower young learners. We believe in fostering consistent, coordinated teaching strategies across all disciplines and environments.

The Groden Center’s mission is to enhance the lives of children and youth with autism, behavioral disorders, and developmental disabilities and their families to lead productive, dignified and satisfying lives by:

• Providing the most effective educational, therapeutic, and other habilitative services;

• Advancing knowledge and best practices through research, education and training;

• Involving, educating, and supporting families in caring and advocating for their children.

Students are referred to TPC School by their home school districts through special education directors. PreK-grade 12.

TPC School meets the learning and therapeutic needs of students with diagnoses such as:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Anxiety disorders
• Bipolar and other mood disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Depressive disorder
• Autism spectrum disorder

The Providence Center School is a special education school for students in preschool through grade 12 diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders.
The goal is to prepare students to successfully return to their community schools, enroll in less restrictive programs, graduate from high school, pursue higher education or join the workforce.

We strive to provide state-of-the-art teaching and clinical/behavioral care to ensure that all students are able to learn to their greatest potential. Our special education teachers, classroom behavior specialists, and occupational and speech/language therapists all have specialized training in supporting the special needs of diverse learners.

Our clinical psychologists and social workers guide the classroom teams to ensure that students’ social-emotional needs are met and that staff training and support are provided.

Bradley Schools are private, school-funded, educational programs for children and adolescents whose psychiatric and behavioral needs cannot be met in a public school setting. The programs are accredited by the Rhode Island and Massachusetts state departments of education.

Our goal is always for students to learn in the least restrictive educational environment. We coordinate with school districts to ensure that, whenever possible, all are focused on the student’s ability to develop the skills needed to attend school back in their home districts.

Our partnership programs facilitate that process for many students, and for others we carefully coordinate transition plans to ensure student success

Bradley School- South County Clinical Director, Melanie Dubard, PhD

Ages 5-18

Students with Behavioral/Emotional disabilities that impede their progress in public school.

Masters-level clinicians and behavior specialists provide daily group therapy to students, as well as weekly individual therapy, and art and play therapy.

A child psychiatrist is on staff to provide evaluation services and medication management if necessary.

Additionally, consulting psychologists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists provide services to students as individually required.

The Briggs School is committed to quality education for all students and provides extended academic instruction through a 225-day school year. With a two to one, student to staff ratio, and a maximum school capacity of 40 children, Briggs students are ensured the personal attention needed to capitalize on their strengths and abilities and to improve their underdeveloped skills.

All referrals to Pathways should be made in writing by the local educational authority (LEA) of the city or town in which the child resides.

Pathways Strategic Teaching Center is an education and treatment program designed to maximize independence and enhance the lives of individuals with autism and other developmental disorders.

Alena Marcotte
Director of Special Education
Pathways Strategic Teaching Center

Grades K-8

Action Based Enterprises provides students in grades K-8 who are struggling with behavioral difficulties and learning challenges with a safe and supportive environment that enables them to learn, thrive and succeed. We provided schooling that is individually tailored to meet each student’s special needs. This is made possible by our low teacher and support to student ratio.

Grades 9 thru age 21.

Action Based Enterprises provides students in grades 9 thru transition age 21 who are struggling with behavioral difficulties and learning challenges with a safe and supportive environment that enables them to learn, thrive and succeed. We provided schooling that is individually tailored to meet each student’s special needs. This is made possible by our low teacher and support to student ratio.

St. Mary’s, is a safe haven for hundreds of children
and adults each year who have suffered trauma

We offer psychiatric residential treatment for children, comprehensive office- and community-based mental health programs for children and adults, a special education school, and training services for trauma treatment.

Please refer to website for more information on services and programs. Link

Since 1877, St. Mary's has been caring for Rhode Island's children. While receiving some support from the Episcopal Diocese, we are a secular, non-profit agency offering comprehensive treatment programs for boys and girls traumatized by abuse or experiencing the challenges of psychiatric disorders. Children are treated and cared for in the residential, educational and out-patient programs located in North Providence, Rhode Island.

The goal of Special Education is to improve the academic, social and post school success of students with disabilities ages 3 to 22. Students eligible for special education require specially designed instruction and related services as needed to meet their unique needs.

Special Education laws, regulations, and policy establish the requirements for educating students with disabilities. Information

The goals of the Office of Student, Community and Academic Supports ensure that children with diverse learning needs and children receiving special education services are provided equal access to a public education and that schools develop effective strategies for meeting the needs of these unique learners.

• OSCAS Special Education Call Center at 401-222-8999 or RIDECallCenter@ride.ri.gov
• El Centro de Llamadas al 401-222-8999

"We aspire to an educational system that holds high expectations for all students, regardless of income or background; is responsive to students’ individual needs; and pushes the boundaries of imagination and innovation to create better learning conditions for students and educators." Rhode Island Strategic Plan for Education

Membership of the committee is composed of individuals involved in or concerned with the education of children with disabilities. Parents of children with disabilities maintain the majority of the Committee membership. The membership also includes individuals with disabilities, teachers, representatives of institutions of higher education, private schools, charter schools, state and local education officials, administrators of programs for children with disabilities, foster care and homelessness, vocational, community or business organizations, juvenile and adult corrections and State Child Serving Agencies.

• The Rhode Island Special Education Advisory Committee advises the
  Commissioner and the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary
  Education on:
• Matters concerning the unmet special education needs of children with disabilities;
• Comments publicly on any rules or regulations proposed by the State regarding the education of children with disabilities;
• Advises the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) in developing evaluations and reporting on data;
• Advises RIDE in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in Federal monitoring reports under Part B of the IDEA; and
• Advises RIDE in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for children with disabilities.

The Rhode Island Special Education Advisory Committee is an active voice in advocating that all students receive superior educational services enabling each student to achieve optimum success throughout their school years and into the world of adulthood.

• RISEAC meeting agendas and minutes are posted on the SOS website: Rhode Island Secretary of State. Meetings are open to the public. Individuals who need accommodations to enable participation in a meeting are invited to submit such requests two weeks prior to the meeting date by contacting Karen. Lovett at karen.lovett@ride.ri.gov or at (401) 222-8333.

Local Special Education Advisory Committees function and operate similar to the State Advisory Committee with similar membership and purpose at a district level.
Contact the school district’s Director of Special Education for information regarding the Local Special Education Advisory Council.

RI School for the Deaf is a Day School (RISD) serving ages 3-21 years. School hours are 8AM-3 PM daily. There are currently no residential services or dorms.

• Parent Infant/Toddler Partners link
• Early Childhood classrooms link
• Elementary and Secondary link
• Educational Support Services link
• Transition Programs link
• Athletics link
• After School Activities link

The Rhode Island School for the Deaf is a critical, strategic and responsive educational center with a commitment to educational excellence for children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, an important low incidence population. The Rhode Island School for the Deaf’s mission is to ensure that all Rhode Island children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing become literate, independent, and productive citizens who set and achieve life goals.

Videophone: (401) 216-8425

Imagine Preschool is an inclusive preschool for children four to five years-old

The Providence Center believes in the value of early childhood education. Imagine Preschool was established to extend the benefits of quality education to all families.

Imagine Preschool is an inclusive preschool for children three to five years-old. Imagine is a 5-star BrightStars program and has twice been selected as one of eight classrooms in the Rhode Island Pre-Kindergarten program.

A recovery high school combining academics and therapeutic support for students overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.

Anchor Learning Academy is operated by The Providence Center, the leading provider of mental health and substance use treatment services for adults, children and families in Rhode Island.

If your child or student would benefit from the individualized learning environment and recovery supports of Anchor Learning Academy, please call Christopher Mahon, educational coordinator, at (401) 432-7106 or CMahon@provctr.org. Christopher and his staff will guide you through the admission process.

The East Bay Educational Collaborative (EBEC) provides a Regional Alternative Program (RAP) called the A. William Josephs Career Academy (AWJCA).  The AWJCA serves students of high school age who have been diagnosed as having significant learning, behavioral, and/or emotional disability. The EBEC public school districts provide this educational opportunity when the needs of a student can not be met within his/her public school.

This alternative learning program and serves all School Districts in the East Bay Area as well as North Providence, Woonsocket, and Pawtucket. Only school districts may make a direct referral of a student to the Academy.

Donna Ottaviano, Ed. D. Executive Director, East Bay Educational Collaborative

Email Dr. Ottaviano

We offer a number of programs and services, sometimes in conjunction with member districts and outside agencies, including:

• Alternative learning and special education programs K-12 link
• Transition and vocational services for young adults who are ready to enter the workforce link
• Physical therapy services and Special Education Services
• RI Transition Academy in separate directory listing
• Professional Development link
• Adult Education link 

Every Student, Every Learner, Every Day!

This is our focus at West Bay Collaborative, and we work to make sure every one of our learners has access to high-quality, innovative, and responsive educational programs and resources that can allow them to reach their individual successes. Every individual can learn, and we provide the means for them to achieve that. Whether they are in elementary school, just starting the path to a career, or looking to improve themselves, we strive to meet their needs.

OVERVIEW

The Transition Academy is located on the campus of Roger Williams University where students prepare for the world of work and access the college community. The Transition Academy is designed for students with disabilities 18 to 21 who:

• Have an IEP, are currently enrolled in high school and are near completion of their academic program

• Are eligible for Office of Rehabilitation Services

• Need a community-based functional skills/vocational curriculum

• Can achieve independence (with initial support)

• Can become semi-independent on a college campus

The Academy Programs @ Roger Williams University are unique educational programs that provide motivated students an opportunity to complete their high school education while building transition skills on a college campus and in the community.

Additional Information link

Grades 9th -12th from Providence, Pawtucket or Central Falls. Admission is by lottery.

Special Education Director Glenda Guglielmo

The school and affiliated programs all have commitments to community involvement and take a “whole child” approach to learning. The corporation was formed to assist local urban students to complete high school, attend higher education, and contribute to their local, regional and global community.

Blackstone Academy Charter School, Inc. operates a public high school as well as an educational enrichment program for middle and high school students. Our high school serves students 350 students from Pawtucket, Central Falls and Providence, Rhode Island.

The Day School's interdisciplinary team approach combines speech and occupational therapy, co-treatments, living skills and vocational training into a comprehensive educational program. Unique to the program are specialized 'lab' settings for reading and science to help emphasize vital academic subject areas that require hands-on learning strategies.

Diagnostic and Evaluation link

The Pediatric Program offers a fully certified Day School for children 3 to 21 years who are struggling with severe learning disabilities often related to neurological impairment, such as autism and seizure disorders. 

Leslie Brow Director of Special Education at 401-886-6600

Foundations Academy-Social Emotional [https://www.nric-ri.org/Foundations-Academy-Social-and-Emotional]

Foundations Academy- Developmental [https://www.nric-ri.org/Foundations-Academy-Developmental-Program]

Career Foundations [https://www.nric-ri.org/Career-Foundations-(Transitional-and-Vocational-Services)]

Auditory and Oral Foundations Program in a separate listing

Northern Rhode Island Collaborative, a public, non-profit educational institution dedicated to providing special education programs and other educational services to school districts and community partners in northern Rhode Island.
Brian Quigg, Director of Educational Services
bquigg@nric-ri.org
(401) 769-6445

Northern Rhode Island Collaborative’s Auditory Oral Foundations was developed to capitalize on improving and expanding technologies for the hearing impaired – in particular the very young. Our students, using technologies such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, learn techniques to better communicate. 

For additional information on NRIC's Auditory Oral Foundations, please contact the Program Coordinator, Sarah Rosendale at:

401-952-8025

The Auditory Oral Foundations program is part of the Northern Rhode Island Collaborative (NRIC). Our commitment is to prepare children for an education in their community schools by providing them with the tools they will need for successful inclusion and achievement.

There is an additional directory listing for NRIC Foundation programs.

• Gain the employment skills and confidence to obtain or retain a job with minimal or time limited supports
• Acquire the functional and daily living skills necessary to reach their potential independence
• Explore opportunities in higher education and credentialing training programs
• Reinforce and improve functional academic skills to be better prepared for the workplace or post secondary training programs
• Develop the social skills and self-confidence to find success with interpersonal relationships at work and at home
• Develop confidence, self-advocacy, and self-awareness to understand the rights and responsibilities of adulthood, knowledge of themselves, and the ability to seek assistance if needed.

RITA is a program for 18-22 year-olds who have IEPs, located on the campus of a Rhode Island local college. This program is geared toward individuals who have completed the academic courses necessary for graduation but would benefit from an additional year to acquire employment skills, functional life skills and social skills to better prepare for adult life. The R.I. Transition Academy provides students with classroom and community instruction in an adult learning environment.

• 18-22 years old, have an IEP and are currently enrolled in school
• Eligible for services from the R.I. Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS)
• Require additional time to achieve transition goals to complete their high school requirements
• Are motivated to attend and fully participate in program activities
• Can follow the rules and expectations of a community college setting

Therese Curran
Director of Transition and Vocational Services
Phone: (401) 941-8353 (Ext. 124)
tcurran@westbaycollaborative.org

Ocean State Academy specializes in meeting the diverse educational and behavioral needs of K–12+ students (ages 5–21) with psychiatric and social-emotional difficulties.

• Academic Program link
• Behavior Program link
• Related Services link
• Career Readiness link

At Ocean State Academy, we strive to create a collaborative and therapeutic learning environment in which the best elements of traditional public school settings are combined with the personalized attention and continual support that students with special needs require. Our academic, behavioral, clinical, and transitional services are fully integrated into the curriculum so that students are learning and growing in all domains throughout the day.

Offers products for sale that are hand-selected by experienced special needs professionals. Items are kid-tested and therapist, teacher and parent approved.

Products Include:

• Adapted Arts and Crafts Materials
• Adapted Toys
• Assistive Technology Equipment
• Assistive Technology Equipment Acquisition Assistance
• Braille and Tactile Aids
• Control and Signaling Aids
• Low Vision Aids
• Speech Aids
• Visual/Reading Aids

Ages 18-23, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Provides a four year postsecondary curriculum of study to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Services Include:

• Person Centered Planning
• Support staff attends the class with the student
• Additional assistance through a two hour support class.
• Work specialty area. Most students are placed on-campus with a support staff member in their first year and gradually they have the opportunity to explore off campus placements.
• Students live on and off campus.

Students completing their four years with the Mason LIFE Program will graduate with a George Mason Certificate of Completion with a catalog concentration and a work specialty area.

Study.com is an online platform that uses short, entertaining video lectures developed by licensed teachers to make education more inexpensive, effective, and engaging. Provides comprehensive education and resources with individuals with disabilities.