N J REG DAY-JERSEY CITY

The program at the New Jersey Regional Day School at Jersey City services children with autism and children displaying autistic-like characteristics. Our mission is to provide a comprehensive educational program, which will, within the limits of a student's disability, provide the student with the skills necessary to become and remain a productive member of society.
The New Jersey Regional Day School at Jersey City is a tuition-based state facility run under contract with Jersey City Public Schools. In addition to students from Jersey City, the school services students from cities located throughout two northern New Jersey counties (Hudson and Essex). Regional Day School is an out-of-district placement for all students enrolled. There are eighteen classes in the program and the age span serviced is from three to twenty-one years.

The staff is constantly involved in on-going professional development training that keeps them abreast of current acceptable teaching methodologies and programs for servicing children with autism.

In order to accomplish our mission, all planning, classroom organization, individual and group activities, as well as, classroom management reflect a high degree of structure designed to maximize the learning time spent at Regional Day School. Our goal is to establish an organization, which will create a teaching and learning environment conducive to student achievement and success.

The curriculum standards for children serviced by the Regional Day School are based on the needs expressed in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each student. Therefore the program spans the life spectrum of children whose age and ability range from birth to 21 years of age. In keeping with this curriculum, documents utilized by the school have components that range from simple identification skills to higher academic skills; from toilet training to vocational training to prepare the student for the ultimate transition into adult society. The majority of the students participate in the New Jersey Alternate Proficiency Assessment portfolios in lieu of the statewide testing.

All areas of development are addressed by the program curriculum that incorporates an applied behavioral analysis approach. To this end, instruction utilizing the discrete trial method is provided in the areas of social behavior, hygiene, communication, academic, self-help and vocational skills appropriate to the student?s ability level. Speech therapy services are provided as required by students' IEPs. In addition to conventional speech therapy services, total communication, augmentative communication and a picture exchange communication system (PECS) are utilized where appropriate.

Program offerings include Vocational/Industrial Arts, non-competitive Physical Education, Computer Education, Swimming, Health and Hygiene.

Programs for students to participate in inclusion activities have been designed and implemented. Wherever appropriate, students are given the opportunity to interact with non-handicapped peers. Currently we have partnerships with four schools within the Jersey City Public Schools. Regional Day School also provides hands-on training in the classroom highlighting employability skills for our secondary population. The skills are then generalized across school settings to community work sites.

The school makes every effort to act as a resource to the parents of the children serviced. The staff makes continuous efforts to both involve the parents in their child's education and to assist them both in reinforcing what is done at school and assisting them in securing help from other outside agencies for extra support assistance.

Parent visitation to the school is strongly encouraged. Support services are also available. Monthly parent meetings are held in the evening during the school year. In addition, a comprehensive parent-training program is offered annually. The sessions reinforce the child's work in school and provide the parent with the opportunity to become more familiar with the school's program.


gjdynes@jcboe.org


Gerard Dynes
201-915-6165