GROVE CITY – Wesley Family Services has opened the Wesley Education Center, a new private school located inside Grove City Area School District’s Hillview Elementary School.
Wesley Family Services provides behavioral health services, therapeutic programs and supportive educational services to students from kindergarten to third grade who require a more-structured, supportive classroom environment. The center welcomed its first students this school year, opening on Sept. 2.
The program was developed over roughly two years of collaboration with area school districts to meet the growing need for an inclusive, specialized learning setting in Mercer County and surrounding areas.
Enrollment in the center requires a referral from a student’s home school district.
“We are beyond thrilled to be a part of the local community and serve students across the region,” Wesley special education Director Shawnda McGroarty said. “Opening Wesley Education Center has been one our organization’s long-term goals because we recognize the critical need in this area to provide students with a more specialized educational setting focused on emotional and behavioral development, which will ultimately lead to their academic progress.”
The school’s staff are certified and highly-trained in special education and therapeutic support services, the organization says. The school provides a master’s level counselor and an on-site behavioral consultant to assist students navigating behavioral challenges, emotional and mental health needs and learning disabilities.
Key features of the center are a social-emotional learning curriculum, social skills instruction, a specialized sensory room for relaxation and regulation, small group and individual therapy sessions, a curriculum aligned with Pennsylvania academic standards, ongoing collaboration with families and educators to review student progress and focused preparation for successful reintegration into public school settings.
In May, the Grove City school board approved a one-year lease with Wesley to rent three classrooms in the Hillview school. When the new school was first announced last fall, Wesley had planned to locate in a building that would have been built for them in Pine Township.