Success Stories

As a special education teacher, Kristen Hershey knew the support her daughter, Julia, needed to reach her full potential in school and to see her failing was heartbreaking.
She adopted Julia at age 5, after specifically requesting a child with Down syndrome. With her professional expertise, Kristen was an ideal parent for a child with disabilities. At first, a public school setting seemed the right choice for Julia. Then, the family moved, and Julia had to start over in a new district.

The school district agreed. They decided the best setting for Julia was an out-of-district placement in a private, special-needs school. Kristen was eager to explore ECLC’s Chatham school. “I knew the school because one of my former students transferred there and was doing really well,” she said.
Transition is especially difficult for children with special needs, and the intake was a challenge. However, ECLC seamlessly stepped up to the task.

Jada Albasi, 17, socializes with classmates in a lunchtime Girls’ Group. She has won gold, silver and bronze medals running track events in Special Olympics. She is learning new job skills that might lead to working in a nursing home.
All of this is well beyond what her mom, Jodi Costa, thought possible when Jada was a small child. “I had hopes for Jada, but I didn’t want to put unrealistically high expectations on her and then have her heart broken,” she said. “It’s putting added pressure on a child that she doesn’t need.”
Jada was born legally blind, has scoliosis and cognitive impairments. At first her journey was difficult. After an early-intervention, preschool program, Jada enrolled in a special-needs school, and then briefly attended a public school, but neither program suited her special needs.

Dear Mr. Carney,
Thank you for all you have done for Ethan since he started attending ECLC. However, thank you seems so insignificant considering the depths in which you have changed Ethan’s world of autism.
He flourished under your teaching, and advanced in ways we didn’t think were possible. Your energy, creativity, and your ability to make learning fun for the children is what sets you apart. Your motto, “Children learn by experiencing” is part of your everyday teaching.
In your classroom, math is not just 2+3=5 … it is a fun game of learning addition by pretending you are buying things at a supermarket. Reading a story is more than just showing photos on the page, it is immersing children into the story to the point where they are belly laughing!
I recall when you taught the children about camping … you created a real-life scenario. The students came in their swimwear, and tents were set up in the classroom. There were lanterns for light and hot cocoa for campfire stories and singalongs.
Virtual learning during the pandemic was actual teaching and learning. Your preparation, and the way you quickly adapted to a new form of teaching, was impressive. The process was seamless from classroom to home. All the effort that you were putting into virtual learning was evident, so the children continued to be educated.

Phyllis Smith vividly remembers the evening many years ago that led her son Vaughn to ECLC.
At the time, Vaughn was 6 years old and attending the local public school. Phyllis went to a PTA meeting of parents with children in the special-education program to learn about options. She didn’t know anyone and was sitting alone, listening, when a mom stood up and spoke passionately about the importance of advocating for your child.
She said, “No one knows your child more than you do. Don’t ever let anyone tell you about your child.”
As the meeting was breaking up, the woman came over and introduced herself, and they exchanged phone numbers. It turned out her daughter was enrolled at ECLC’s Chatham school and was thriving. “I wasn’t happy with Vaughn’s situation and set up a meeting with the Child Study Team to discuss transferring him elsewhere. They agreed to let us visit ECLC.”
Phyllis remembers the warmth and understanding she immediately felt from the ECLC staff, and it moved her to tears. “I knew it was the right place for Vaughn.” And it was; at ECLC, Vaughn soared.

When Megan T. talks about the PRIDE program, she calls it “college.” And, for Megan, it has many of the same components. “She has the socialization at PRIDE, plus the training,” says her mom, Geraldine. “She has friends that she could have made no place else.”
But, in addition to that warmth and community with peers, Megan is progressing in learning life skills. “She makes her own bed, gets her money ready at night, chooses her clothes for the next day and takes [NJ Transit’s] Access Link, which helps make her feel very independent,” says mom. “She seems much more independent and doing more things for herself. It’s really helping her to live more on her own.”
When Megan graduated from ECLC’s Chatham campus, her parents visited a number of day programs looking for the right placement. What they saw wasn’t suitable for Megan, who has Down syndrome. “They weren’t the right fit for Megan,” says her mom.
The PRIDE community extends to parents as well, which Geraldine truly appreciates. Parents get a chance to meet and speak with staff at monthly group meetings. “It’s really helpful for all of us parents—we’re in the same boat and it’s good to have that support,” she says. “I can’t say enough good things about the program; it makes me feel fantastic.”

Sylvia is up at 5 a.m., without the jarring jangle of an alarm clock. By 7 a.m., she is eagerly awaiting the bus to travel to ECLC’s PRIDE program in Chatham. The problem, says mom Mireya, is that her bus isn’t scheduled to come until 8:30 a.m. “She is just so excited to go,” says Mireya. “I don’t know where we would be if we didn’t find ECLC. It has changed her life and all of our lives.”

Sylvia found a home at ECLC in her teens, after graduating from junior high school. Navigating the academic and social swirl of middle school seemed like a plunge through white-water rapids for Sylvia, who is classified with a neurological handicap.

“She was unhappy with school and didn’t want to go,” remembers her mother. When she graduated, the next placement was the local high school, which was among the largest in the state. For Sylvia that was as inviting as diving into Niagara Falls.

Her parents began to explore other options, and one educator suggested ECLC’s school in Chatham. The day of their visit happened to be International Day. “We walked in and saw the Cuban flag up on the auditorium’s stage,” said mom, who is Cuban. “It was like a sign of home. I thought this is it. It was magical. From that day on, her life changed 180 degrees.”

Sylvia was buoyed by the winds of success at ECLC. She made friends, succeeded in her academics and progressed tremendously in everyday life skills. Suddenly, she could do little things like order ice cream at the store and chat on the telephone with new friends.