Miriam School

We are the only school in St. Louis and the surrounding areas that works with children with complex learning needs. Our students are defined as complex because they often have 2 or more diagnosed disabilities that interfere with their learning, especially in a traditional classroom. Typically, our students are average to above average intelligence. For example, students may have ADHD and dyslexia, they may be on the autistic spectrum and have anxiety. Currently we serve students who live in over 81 zip codes. We offer the support our students need to find success. Here, they learn to advocate for their needs, and to use their strengths to overcome their challenges instead of against them. We become the solution that students and their families have been searching for, as we support, teach and empower students so they can reach their full potential.

We offered integrated therapies in the areas of speech and language, occupational therapy, and counseling.

The services listed above are included in the tuition cost. Miriam Learning Center currently serves about 1200 children annually throughout greater St. Louis. We provide special education services and perform evaluations both at Miriam School but also in private, public and charter schools to ensure children are getting the services they need. Our mission is to help as many children as we can be successful in life. These services are funded via contracts directly with the schools we are serving, local grants and foundations and private pay.

Yes we offer a parent support group that meets monthly. We also host parent coffees and meetings after school.

Staff go through training throughout the school year. We prefer to employ staff members that have their degree in special education. However, we do work to ensure our students at the high school level have access to high level classes should they be ready to take them. Teachers are observed and given feedback on how to best support our unique learners.

We do not offer transportation at this time.

We do not take children whose primary diagnosis is behavior based.

Next year our variable tuition will range from $11,600 to $37,300. Students apply for variable tuition so to the very best of our ability, families are offered what they can afford.

We believe that behavior issues are the result of the child’s need for explicit instruction. Behaviors that are negative present us with an opportunity for a child to grow with our help and feedback. We are not able to keep students enrolled if they elope, threaten to harm others or maybe at repeated risk for harming themselves. We are not a therapeutic setting.

Absolutely, our personalized strength-based approach is exactly designed for these kinds of children! We can offer small class sizes, instruction that is tailored to students’ learning needs and also create an atmosphere that is rigorous so that the child is able to flourish, and we nourish their brain. In our school, children who struggle with core foundation skills are not placed in environments where they can get what they need to be successful as well as be exposed to higher level courses like physics, or college algebra.

Yes, we absolutely offer college prep. This year we have 8/14 graduates matriculating into college or community college. Our other students are in apprenticeships or support programs to continue to build their skills in the workforce.

(Not sure if this is what you mean?). We have students who participate in dual enrollment classes so that they can receive the executive functioning coaching, support, continued instruction and counseling they need to transition into their next steps. We have an experiential learning program in which we are working to help students generalize their skills from the classroom into the real world. The mission of the Miriam School and Learning Center is “to empower unique learners by building confidence and a foundation for success.” Our students have not found success in a traditional classroom. However, our small class sizes, the integration of therapies like speech and language and occupational therapy into their day, allows us to personalize their learning experience. However, what we know about students with disabilities is that it is hard for them to implement lessons learned in the classroom with experiences outside of school such as working, socializing, or doing healthy activities. Like within the Miriam classroom, we have found that our students need a scaffolded, learning pathway so they have skills to be successful in the “real world.” As an organization we know that we have to educate the whole person. It is also clear that Miriam students are capable of contributing to the greater St. Louis workforce. With a depleted workforce, Miriam students have the capacity to give back to the community. Our neurodiverse students can provide new perspectives and ideas to area businesses and be the volunteers at not-for-profit organizations that are struggling to find help. We intend our experiential learning program to have multiple layers of learning. As students' progress through high school with increasingly more complex tasks and independence, our goal is for our students to graduate with work or internship experience that allows them to seamlessly continue after high school. First, we will ensure that our students are actively exploring organizations that align with both their strengths and their passions. Next, we will have our students begin volunteering with coaching before, during and after their experiences. Each student and every grade or level will have criteria for success and articulated expectations before they can move onto another level of independence. We have Discovery Days or experiential learning days . An example of one of these days was when our freshman and sophomores went food shopping at Schnucks for our Friendsgiving All School Feast. Students planned the meal with their teacher, budgeted for the expense of the food, shopped in the store in small groups (only allowed to ask someone who worked at the store for assistance in locating an ingredient), paid for the food, went back to school and cooked and served the food to their peers and staff. Furthermore, while the students were at the store they spent time with the HR Director who works to employ people with disabilities. They prepared and asked questions about employment in the future. Everyone debriefed about the trip in class and considered what they learned and what they could do better next time.