Carson Valley Day School is situated on the main campus of Carson Valley School in Flourtown, PA. The school program is housed in a separate educational facility which consists of several classrooms, tutoring rooms, multipurpose room/gym, medical suite, resource center/library, bathroom facilities, and staff offices. All facilities meet the standards established by the PA Department of Education and Department of Licensing and Inspections.

Program Objectives

The goal of the Carson Valley School Day School Program is to provide intensive, relatively short-term educational and therapeutic services that enable the participating emotionally disturbed student to achieve a successful community adjustment. The primary components of a successful community adjustment for Carson Valley School students include:

• Maintenance in the public school system or least restrictive setting possible with or without special education services.
• Maintenance in the family and community with reduced need for involvement in child welfare and mental health systems
• Increased ability to function independently and move towards stated life goals.

• Carson Valley School is licensed to serve both Elementary and Secondary students.
• Currently average age of the student population is approximately twelve years.
• Students are placed in the Carson Valley School on-grounds school program when the special needs of students cannot adequately be met by resources within the public school system.
• The school is one of the most restrictive, nonresidential educational programs available and, therefore, will only enroll those students whose needs could not be met in other less restrictive settings.
• All students admitted must meet the criteria for placement in an alternative school or Emotional Support classroom setting as outlined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education or have a diagnosable mental health disorder as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (4th Edition) of the American Psychiatric Association.

• Carson Valley School is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and offers comprehensive elementary and secondary curricula in compliance with state standards.
• All high school credits earned for courses taken at Carson Valley School are transferable.
• Graduating students are awarded high school diplomas.
• Specific educational programming and instructional techniques utilized are selected on an individual basis for each student and are specific to the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
• All IEP's are developed by the IEP team which consists of parents, student (as appropriate), teachers, a representative from the resident school district, program specialists, and other appropriate team members.

• Staffing for the program is provided by a multi-disciplinary team of professional staff which include special education teachers, reading and math specialists, speech/language therapist, administrators, medical staff, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, instructional assistants, and mental health specialists/behavior managers.
• Each classroom program is able to serve eight to ten students.
• Program supervision is provided by the program director.
• All staff hold the proper licensure and certification required by the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare.

• Program funding is provided by various sources which include the Department of Education, resident school districts, and county Offices of Mental Health (mental health services only).
• Education costs are based on the regular education costs of the local School District in which the school is located or the actual audited allowable costs of the program.
• The school's financial statement is audited each year by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

• Referrals to the program are initiated by Carson Valley School Residential Programs, school districts or county Offices of MH/MR.
• The referral is screened for its appropriateness. After this review, a decision is made for acceptance. If accepted an Educational Planning conference is scheduled. Following approval of the Educational Plan, the student is scheduled to begin school.
• On average, the referral process takes three to seven school days