San Diego CA— The Nordson Corporation Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life in our communities by improving educational outcomes that enable individuals to become self-sufficient, active participants in the community, has awarded $5,000 to the San Diego Center for Children’s Academy. The Center’s Academy, certified in 2005, is a WASC accredited K-12 nonpublic school.
With services ranging from outpatient and in-home based therapy to residential treatment, special education and school-based programs, therapeutic support for foster youth, and transition age services, the Center is a flagship organization for children and families struggling with mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.
According to Moisés Barón, Ph.D., President and CEO of the San Diego Center for Children, the Academy enrollment has grown by nearly 50 percent during the last few years. It will serve nearly 200 students during the current school year and is expected to serve even more students from all over the county in the coming years.
“Through our Academy, the Center provides individualized educational and learning opportunities to students in need. Programs like the school’s Intensive Reading and Math Improvement Programs, help students whose learning have been impacted to get back up to grade level in these critical core subjects. Additional programming to create a holistic approach involves music and the arts, sports and recreation, and curriculum for civility, community service and anti-bullying, all with an emphasis on positive reinforcement and respect for self and others. These aspects positively influence our students not only in their academics, but also their communication and social skills, confidence and self-worth, and overall well-being,” said Barón.
The Academy serves students with severe mental, emotional and behavioral challenges who have been unable to succeed academically in a public school classroom setting by providing what other schools cannot— an individualized approach to learning that combines specialized education and multiple therapeutic supports, provided alongside engaging and effective enrichment programs. The majority of students are from low to moderate-income families, who could not otherwise afford the resources and programming their child needs to succeed. The Academy has a 97% success rate of graduating seniors with a high school diploma.