Keeping children on track with their education is challenging
outside of public education
For students who live in juvenile hall or other institutional
environments, access to educational materials is challenging.
Chamberlain’s Childrens Services recently received a donation of 20
textbooks from the San Benito County Office of Education.
In addition to the school that Chamberlain’s operates they also
house a six-bed 30-day emergency shelter that takes in kids removed
from their homes for safety issues such as abuse.
Keeping children on track with their education is challenging outside of public education
For students who live in juvenile hall or other institutional environments, access to educational materials is challenging. Chamberlain’s Childrens Services recently received a donation of 20 textbooks from the San Benito County Office of Education.
In addition to the school that Chamberlain’s operates they also house a six-bed 30-day emergency shelter that takes in kids removed from their homes for safety issues such as abuse.
Because these children are often not in a public school, the textbooks allow Chamberlain’s to provide education services to children without disrupting the continuity of their education. It most situations it’s not possible to leave the child in the learning environment they were previously in.
Chamberlain’s is a private, nonpublic school, but is under the supervision of the county. They are legally independent and receive no county funding, so when they receive donations from the county, it’s a blessing.
“The point is that the kids won’t be left behind educationally,” said Doreen Crumrine, Chamberlain’s acting chief executive.
Often, according to San Benito County Superintendent of Schools Tim Foley, Chamberlain’s houses juveniles from different counties because of concerns for the children’s safety. The cases vary in nature; some children are removed from their homes due to domestic violence, others suffered from child abuse or had their parents incarcerated. The texts help the students stay up with their studies so they can more easily meld back into their schools at a later time.
Chamberlain’s has a school on the grounds taught by licensed teachers who are credentialed in special education so they can address the various behavioral needs of the kids, said Crumrine. The curriculum is focused on the behavior of the students first, then academics.
Chamberlain’s is a nonprofit organization in Hollister that has been taking in severely behaviorally disturbed children for more than 30 years. Many of the kids at Chamberlain’s have been abused and or neglected and have slipped through the cracks of the foster care system.
The students learn the skills necessary to be successful in a public school environment so that they might be able to transition into a public school setting. The school uses all the same textbooks as the other schools within Hollister School District.
Continuity between schools in the district is important, said San Benito County Superintendent of Schools Tim Foley.
The biggest challenge, at least at Chamberlain’s is working with the diverse grade levels, because each child has different needs, both physically and emotionally. The other challenge is the severity of their behaviors. In spite of the challenges, Crumrine said that the school has been successful in transitioning children back into the regular school environments.
All the kids have learning issues, according to Crumrine; some are more severe than others, but what all the students have in common is behavioral issues. All the students at Chamberlain’s have behavior so extreme that they couldn’t learn in the past, because they spent a lot of time suspended. Teaching at Chamberlain’s often starts with how to sit in chairs and listen.
“Every child needs to have the opportunity to learn, regardless of his or her background, whether they’re in a shelter or the juvenile hall,” Foley said.
Teachers at the so-called “community schools,” such as San Andreas and Pinnacles, must focus on each student’s specific needs to make them successful, sometimes in spite of themselves.
“The community schools were started to serve the youth under protection of the juvenile court system and also expelled youth. Expelled youths still have a right to an education,” Foley said. “If you get expelled from school you’re not banished from education. Often community schools act as a gateway between juvenile hall and the logical transition back into regular school.”
All of the schools work pretty closely together, according to Foley. So it doesn’t matter whether it’s a private school or the classroom within the juvenile hall, the students are getting the same curriculum.
“The students don’t get into these programs accidentally, each student is considered to ensure that he or she can be as successful as possible. The environments are smaller, individualized settings, which seem to work better for some,” Foley said.
The schools don’t offer athletics, but can offer smaller classrooms ensuring that no child falls through the cracks. Also, the faculty at each of these schools works as a team.
“For many of these kids this may be the first time they’re actually able to be successful,” Foley said.
