Educational Services

Casa Academy

Casa de Esperanza opened Casa Academy to meet the needs of some of the school-age children in placement at Casa or in the post-adoptive support program. These children are in need of a small, structured environment with integrated school and after-school care to ensure consistency of care and relationships. Casa Academy provides a positive learning environment that is less stressful, more flexible and sensitive to the medical, emotional and developmental needs of these children. The adoptive parents are in need of support to provide a positive educational setting for the children. Casa Academy is a reflection of Casa de Esperanza's desire to meet the developmental and educational needs of the children we serve.

Attempts were made to place and keep these children in traditional public and private classroom settings. However, these placements often failed because of the children's unique needs. The children were suffering emotionally, developmentally and educationally, because of:

• Serious medical and emotional problems, including: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Major Depression, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
• Significant behavioral problems which caused disruptions in a traditional classroom setting, including: aggression toward self and others, destruction of property, rages, defiance, manipulation, and poor impulse control.

These children did not respond to traditional teaching or classroom management strategies and their behaviors have made placements in traditional school settings difficult.

The Director of Casa Academy has an M.A. degree in Special Education. A teacher and teacher's aide also work at the school. Casa de Esperanza's Developmental and Psychological Services professionals provide psychological assessment, evaluation and counseling and support to the children.

Casa Academy has many benefits for the emotionally fragile school-age children who attend including a structured environment, small class size, and coordination between teachers and therapists in coping with the children's emotional needs.

It is the policy of Casa de Esperanza that no family is charged for services provided by the agency.