EDUCATION CENTER AT WATSON INSTITUTE

At The Harry S. Tack Education Center at the Sewickley Campus, Watson offers an approved private school that is licensed to serve children ages 3 to 21 with autism, cerebral palsy, neurological impairments and other developmental disabilities. The Education Center currently has 16 classrooms staffed by a special education teacher and two paraprofessionals. The staff to student ratio is approximately 1:2. Each classroom team consists of the teacher, paraprofessionals and related service professionals. Service professionals available to the classroom include speech and language therapists, occupational and physical therapists, teachers of the visually impaired, social workers, behavior specialists and a school nurse. Additionally, there are four "special" classes: art, music, library and adapted physical education. These classrooms are staffed by a teacher certified in their respective content area. A paraprofessional is assigned to each special classroom as well. The Education Center is accredited by The National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES), a subsidiary of The National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC), a non-profit association whose mission is to represent private special education centers and their leaders. NAPSEC promotes high quality programs for individuals with disabilities and their families and advocates for access to the continuum of alternative placements and services.