Our Functional Academic Program, previously called the Life Skills Program, is specifically designed for those students in middle or high school grades with extraordinary needs whose Individualized Education Plan prioritizes practical skills over other forms of curriculum. For these students, opportunities to create hands-on projects to learn pattern recognition or step by step instructions allow the student to develop self-help skills. Beadwork, for example, can exercise hand-eye coordination and simple patterns, giving the student a finished product to bring home. By working with each student at his or her own level, not only are all students able to be more successful, working to expand their existing skills fosters positive self-image and a sense of accomplishment that will follow them throughout life.

Our Autism Program has been created in every detail to support and nurture those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The program includes a Sensory Space full of specialized activities and exercises to sooth and stimulate those with sensory integration challenges. Students will enter into the Sensory Space when they need to calm and refocus their attentions, and they may be staff or self-guided, depending on the needs and abilities of the student. The classroom contains centers and work-stations designed to encourage appropriate behavior in a school environment while assisting them with the development of early academic and communication skills. Each student’s academic performance will be measured by the goals defined in his or her Individualize Education Plan. Students can be verbal or non-verbal and most behaviors can be accommodated as we implement the support plan necessary to assist each student. Student to staff ratios are low throughout the school, with no more than four students per adult in the classroom. In the Autism Program, staff are specially trained to work with autistic children, thus increasing the quality of supervision and education within the program.

The most common reason a student is referred to Childhelp School of Village West is Emotional Disturbance (ED), meaning that their academic challenges are primarily rooted in behavior, mental health diagnoses or disturbances in mood and the ability to emotionally self-regulate. Students who have consistently performed below their potential academically while exhibiting disruptive behavior in a public school setting may be referred to a more restrictive environment to curtail their behavior and provide them with the coping techniques necessary for them to be successful. Students who attend Childhelp School of Village West under the ED classification as their primary qualifying condition will utilize the same curriculum offered in the Beaumont Unified School District with accommodations as needed. Childhelp provides all necessary transportation, but can therefore only accept students within a reasonable driving distance. Students are never suspended for their behavior, school-based counseling is available on-site, and all efforts will be made to help every child be successful with the end-goal of transitioning back into the public school system whenever possible.

The Merv Griffin Village is Childhelp’s Residential Treatment Facility for children, both male and female, between the ages of 6 and 14. Within the Merv Griffin Village, children live in cottages based on their age and gender, and all children receive continuous, highly-trained therapeutic treatment and supervision. Individual and group therapy are offered each week with additional therapies available as needed, including art therapy, equine/animal assisted therapy, wilderness therapy, music therapy and family therapy when appropriate. Students will remain in residential care at Childhelp for an average of 6-12 months, although remaining for the duration of one school year is not uncommon. During this time, students will receive all the academic support provided to all students of the Childhelp School of Village West as well as receiving all of the benefits of the residential program, and regular family visitation is encouraged and facilitated whenever possible. Participants of the residential program are not required to attend the school and many of our residents are bused to public schools nearby, allowing students to transition back into public school as soon as possible regardless of their residential status. Similarly, students attending the school are not required to be residents of the Merv Griffin Village, although students who attend for the school day only must live within reasonable driving distance of the school.

Childhelp School of Village West is focused on providing the necessary skills to youth that would enable each one to become productive members of society. Our mission is to provide a curriculum-based, results-driven Independent Living Skills Program designed to teach skills that will transfer to the workplace and the community by providing opportunity for hands-on supervised practice. Childhelp School of Village West promotes the highest character development by incorporating leadership, cultural diversity, teamwork, sociability, self-management, and ethical thinking into the skills development program. We provide Transitional Instruction through the implementation of National Transition Standards. Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, is integrated into program activities, classroom instruction, and/or core curriculum. Students complete or contribute to the completion of the “Transition Planning Profile”. The program is available to all students age 14 and older, although younger children may participate in a preliminary version as needed.  High School Students enrolled in the program receive monetary incentive for their time, which cannot exceed one hour per instructional day.