All children need an appropriate education in a caring environment.
Who do we help?
Today the school accepts many types of special needs children and thus now goes by the name “School for Special Children”. More students are enrolling each term as local parents, pediatricians and de la Familia (DLF) social services learn that the School provides special education, the only school at Lakeside with comprehensive programs to help students with physical and learning problems.
Students range in age from 40 days old to 18 years of age. For “talleres”, afternoon workshops, we accept students up to 22 years of age. For educational purposes, the students are divided into seven groups according to their age and handicap. These include Downs Syndrome, West Syndrome, deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, mental disability, autism and neuromotor disorders. The objective of the school is to increase the capabilities of the children to realize a maximum of autonomy, reducing the burden on families.
Today 20 teachers and staff at the school are paid by the Jalisco Department of Education and the federal government, including a director, 11 classroom teachers, a communication teacher, a psychologist, a social worker, a nanny, and a secretary
What do we provide?
We are a not for profit, government registered, charitable organization composed of a board of directors, members-at-large and volunteers. We are responsible for maintaining and improving the school facilities and providing special programs for the children and assistance to the teaching staff.
Though the building and land are owned by the charity, the school building and land have been leased free of charge back to the Mexican government. In order to be a federally approved school, thus able to provide diplomas for graduates and receive funding for teachers’ salaries, the school must belong to the federal government.
Today 20 teachers and staff at the school are paid by the Jalisco Department of Education and the federal government, including a director, 11 classroom teachers, a communication teacher, a psychologist, a social worker, a nanny, and a secretary
The School for Special Children non-profit group pays for another 5 staff members including an Audiology Technician, a groundskeeper/gardener, an accounts administrator, and 2 cooks.
Cooperation with other local charities provides added support. Currently, the school is working with Niños Incapacitados to provide medical support for several children at the school and the local Shriner’s group to send students with burn or orthopedic problems to the Shriner’s Hospital in Mexico City for treatment.
In recent years, bathrooms and classrooms have been added, land taxes paid, electrical, gas and water services upgraded, and school materials and special equipment such as hearing aids, braces and wheel chairs purchased.