About the Nonprofit
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Approximately 20% of the American population has a learning disability. In California, this means that over one million students in K-12 schools have learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and ADHD. Yet, less than 25% of these children receive special services to address their learning disability (CA Dept. of Education). Their struggles in the traditional classroom result in anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and other mental health conditions two to five times more than their peers. If these differences are not addressed, these students are more likely to drop out of high school, become unemployed, or turn to criminal activities.
The Prentice School is an award winning nonprofit private school designed for children with language-based learning disabilities, like dyslexia, and co-occurring conditions, including ADHD. Our program is designed to prepare and empower our students for a life of self-advocacy, personal growth and the understanding that their differences can be their strengths. We focus on a small group learning environment, so our class sizes do not exceed 12 and our ratio of students to teachers is 6 to 1.
As a school specifically geared towards students with language-based learning disorders, our program includes a number of aspects to help our student experience a learning environment where they feel accepted, loved and one where they can succeed.
One of those aspects is our utilization of the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach for our structured literacy program. The OG Approach is a direct, explicit, multi-sensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling does not come easily to individuals, such as those with dyslexia. Our students have 30-60 minutes of dedicated structured literacy time daily.
Another aspect is having a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) on staff. All Prentice students participate in weekly Social Emotional Learning classes, let by our LMFT, to develop their tools for managing school-based stress and anxiety. Students learn to identify and articulate their feelings and learn meaningful and effective ways to manage their emotions. She is also available for scheduled therapy session with students, if needed and requested.
Another aspect is our Mind Masters Program, now in its third year, to help students develop their working memory skills. Led by Dr. Eugene Wong from CSUSB, this program has been specifically designed to help our students build their working memory and improve their academic performance.
