Promise Christian Academy

A therapeutic approach to academic excellence
for children with multiple disabilities

By Suzanne Ebel, PCA Board Member

As a new school in the St. Louis landscape of special education, Promise Christian Academy was founded three years ago to serve children with multiple disabilities. Promise integrates academic excellence and high nurture in a small, therapeutic classroom setting. It’s a tangible answer to the prayers of parents and teachers who were seeking a school for students who required intensive individual attention and instruction, paired with intensive sensory integration support. According to World Magazine, Promise Academy is one of only five schools in the nation that do so with a faith-infused foundation. Children with autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other pervasive developmental delays are encouraged to explore and develop their individual abilities and reach their highest potential. Promise Christian Academy is fast becoming the school of choice for families seeking this approach.

Promise’s philosophy is best described by these words: accepting, celebrating, cultivating and developing.

They accept differences -- differences in learning style, differences in physical and cognitive ability, and differences in approach to solving problems. From a semantic point of view, they prefer the term “learning differences” to learning disabilities, as it allows the children to see themselves as empowered rather than victimized by a label. Differences are viewed as a unique design to be cultivated, supported and enriched. As such, each disability and physical handicap is viewed as a unique starting point for their students. Teachers and therapists partner with parents in the task of untangling and re-wiring the neural circuits within each student. A ‘teamwork’ approach is integrated into every challenge, and is facilitated by the speech, art and occupational therapists on staff that interact daily with the students.

Promise celebrates the unique design and gift set of each child, and acknowledges God’s special love and provision for each child and family represented in the classroom. Their focus is on potential, not on labels and diagnostic classifications. They celebrate baby steps and giant leaps.  And, they see amazing successes on a regular basis. The phrase “This is a God thing!” has become a daily affirmation, as good things just keep on happening!  By celebrating daily victories, Promise keeps optimism and hope alive in the face of the daily doses of disappointment.  Celebrating is their way of thanking the kids for their effort, thanking God for the progress and thanking each other for not giving up!

The staff at Promise cultivates attitudes of awe and reverence for God and His world.  Each day begins with prayer, thanking God for His provision and protection, and asking for His blessings throughout the day. They continually instill in the students a respect for the world and for each other as they develop academic competencies and improve social skills. Field trips and enrichment activities take them outside of the classroom to practice the lessons learned and enhance the attitudes being targeted.

Promise Christian Academy develops the whole child. They recognize that each child is created by God for a unique and special purpose. To support this belief, they address the mind, body and spirit of each student in an attempt to facilitate the highest degree of growth.  Speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, keyboarding instruction and adaptive physical education are just a few ways that they support the development of a more fully functioning body. Targeted and specialized curriculums along with adaptive techniques and technologies support the goal of developing the mind. Prayer and Bible exposure assist in nurturing the spiritual growth of each student.  As the Psalmist stated, “We will tell the next generation of the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.” In this way, Promise encourages each student to develop their faith and build a foundation of hope based on the love and mercies of God.

Promise Christian Academy is a member school of the Christian Schools Association of St. Louis. It serves students ages 6 to 21, and is accepting applications for the 2008-2009 school year.  Promise Christian Academy is housed in the former West County Tech facility at 800 Maryville Center Drive in Town and Country, MO.  For more information, call Meredith Heintz at (314) 439-9711 or log on to promisechristianacademy.org.