SCHOOL PROFILE Town and Country, Missouri romise Christian Academy is one of only five Christian schools in the United States with the sole purpose of educating students with severe diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and other pervasive developmental delays. The seed for the idea of Promise Christian Academy was planted in 1997 when a Jewish parent of a child with autism approached a church staff member, asking, “For the sake of your Jesus, won’t you help my son?” One month later a task force was formed to explore expanding Kirk of the Hills’ educational outreach to include students who are differently able. Founded in 2004, Promise opened a classroom for two part-time students and one teacher in the basement of Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church. Today Promise serves 21 students, who range in age from 6–18 and who had not been thriving in their traditional classrooms. The wise, loving, and highly trained teachers and therapists create a safe learning culture for students. Some Promise students have progressed so far that they’ve been able to move on to other schools. Others have gained skills that will allow them to navigate more independently in their homes and communities. This spring Promise will hold its first graduation ceremony for a student. Promise’s approach to educating its students is completely unique. Every day academics occur in conjunction with occupational and speech and language therapy. Students also enjoy art therapy and music therapy each week. In addition Promise offers Lunch Club, an innovative approach to introducing new, safe foods to the students. Bible stories/lessons are a regular part of every day. Promise seeks to cultivate the whole child: mind, body, and spirit. The single greatest advantage of Promise existing as a Christian school is that children of any faith or ethnicity are invited to know Christ and his promise of eternal life. Every teacher and therapist treats the students with love and dignity. They look forward to that great day when every one of Promise’s students can be completely healed. One day there will be no more wheelchairs or extra chromosomes or blocked pathways that make speaking, learning, and moving so complicated. In the meantime, Promise is committed to bringing hope to its students, their families, and the greater community. P Promise Christian Academy’s teachers and therapists excel at helping the students with special needs make friendships, have conversations, share meals, try new tastes, and experience new activities. There is no specific class for this; it’s just the Promise way. Prior to attending Promise, many of the students have never experienced these things. Some prospective parents have shared that their child has been marginalized in other school settings. The thought of their child having friends for the first time is an astonishing proposition to them. Every Promise parent wants his or her child to know what it’s like to have good friends and to be accepted by others. At Promise this happens. Promise Christian Academy hopes to purchase property by April 2014 and commence constructing a state-of-the-art school for its students by 2017. This new, permanent facility will serve as a better platform from which to launch its students. The hope is that building its own home will result in building promise into the lives of students with special needs, of parents who are passionately pursuing the best education for their child, and of the community as the students are empowered to become active contributors who function as independently as possible. School Facts Students: 21 Staff: 9 Opened: August 2004 Chairman of the Board: Bob Jones Principal: Meredith Wiggers Heintz Tuition: $17,800 Website: www.promisestl.org Mission Statement: Promise Christian Academy offers a specialized education that considers the whole child. At Promise we meet each child’s learning challenges with alternative instructional approaches designed for their unique success. This education is rooted in biblical truth as interpreted by the Westminster Confession of Faith and seeks to reveal and develop the God-given characteristics of the students to achieve their purpose in life. 14 Christian Home & School | www.csionline.org