CARES Program
At The Joseph Sears School, the CARES Program offers a highly supportive, individualized learning environment for students whose communication, academic, social-emotional, self-regulation, functional, and independence needs are best met through specialized instruction and a dedicated team. CARES reflects the five commitments that guide everything the CARES Team does: Communication, Academics, Regulation, Engagement, and Self-Determination.
What CARES Stands For
- Communication — Every student has a reliable, respected means of communication. We embed language modeling, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and visual supports throughout the day so students can express their needs, thoughts, and ideas across all settings.
- Academics — Instruction is individualized to meet students where they are at and includes foundational and functional academics. Students build the reading, writing, mathematics, pre-vocational, and real-world skills that move them toward independence and prepare them for meaningful work in adulthood
- Regulation — We lead with prevention, teaching coping and self-regulation skills within predictable routines and calm, structured environments. We teach self-regulation and social skills; naming emotions, developing coping strategies, staying flexible, and building the social skills students use to interact, form relationships, and solve problems.
- Engagement — We design for active participation and a sense of belonging in both the classroom and the wider community. Through community-based instruction, students practice their skills in real settings and take part in the life of the school and neighborhood.
- Self-Determination — We help students build self-advocacy, decision-making, and problem-solving skills so they can take an active role in their own learning and prepare for a more independent future.
Program Overview
The CARES Program serves students who benefit from the structure and individualized support of a specialized classroom. Learning is tailored to each student through specialized instruction and evidence-based practices, with related service providers working as part of the classroom team. What students learn in the classroom is reinforced at home and in the community, so their skills hold up across the settings of daily life. The program also looks ahead. As students grow, instruction places greater emphasis on self-determination and the practical skills of adult life, preparing each student for meaningful participation in the community and future employment opportunities.
Who the Program Serves
Students in the CARES classroom demonstrate a unique combination of strengths and support needs across several developmental and educational domains. While each student has their own learning profile, students commonly benefit from specialized instruction, structured supports, and individualized programming in the following areas:
Communication and Language Acquisition and Use
Students are developing skills to understand and/or express language, engage in reciprocal conversations, interpret social communication, or communicate their needs, thoughts, and ideas effectively. Some students use AAC, visual supports, or other communication systems to support successful interactions across settings.
Foundational and Core Academics
Students benefit from individualized instruction, accommodations, modifications, and repeated practice to develop foundational academic skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and content-area learning. Instruction meets students at their current level of performance while promoting meaningful progress toward individualized academic goals.
Social-Emotional Learning, Social Skills, and Regulation
Students benefit from explicit instruction and support in identifying emotions, developing coping strategies, building self-regulation skills, navigating social interactions, solving problems, and demonstrating flexibility. Structured environments, predictable routines, and individualized supports help students engage successfully in learning and relationships throughout the day.
Independence and Functional Skills
Students require direct instruction and practice in independence, self-advocacy, organization, daily living, executive functioning, and participation in school and community activities, with a focus on functioning independently across educational, social, and real-world environments.
Future Readiness, Self-Determination, and Life Skills
Students receive instruction and support in the skills necessary for long-term independence and successful participation in their communities, including self-advocacy, decision-making, goal setting, executive functioning, daily living skills, and workplace-readiness behaviors. Instruction is designed to build confidence and the foundation for meaningful post-secondary opportunities, employment, and adult living.
The CARES Team
Students in the CARES classroom are supported by a collaborative team that includes the CARES classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a speech-language pathologist, instructional assistants, and related service providers, working in close partnership with families. Together, the CARES Team delivers specialized instruction, structured teaching practices, robust communication supports, and inclusive opportunities with peers, all guided by data and a shared commitment to each student's growth.