Founded in 1967, Mount Carmel Guild Academy moved to its current location in West Orange, for the start of the 2003 – 2004 school year, after twenty-three years in Newark. A special education school of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark, Mount Carmel Guild Academy is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian, coeducational school offering a comprehensive program for learning and behaviorally disabled children in grades K through 12. The school’s 200-day program focuses on providing an educationally and clinically supportive environment for students between the ages of 5 and 21. A certified teacher of the handicapped leads each class with the assistance of an instructional aide. Daily lesson plans reflect each student’s IEP, which is collaboratively developed by the parent, child study team case manager and MCG Academy personnel. In addition, students are able to continue their academic and behavioral program in the summer by attending the MCGA Extended School Year program.
With the start of the 2006 – 2007 school year, classes for children classified with autism spectrum disorder were opened. Following the principles of ABA, each student works one-to-one with an adult, participating in discrete trial instruction, working on readiness skills, receptive and expressive language, pre-academic skills and skills of independent living.
Students are referred by their home school districts for enrollment at MCG Academy. Referral materials are reviewed by both administrative and clinical staff. If appropriate, a student is then invited for an intake interview, along with their parent / guardian and child study team case manager. Following the intake interview, prospective students are invited to return to the Academy for a one-day trial visit. If all is successful and appropriate, an offer of acceptance is then extended to the parent and child study team.
