More than 20 years ago, I attended a conference for people with serious and complex behavioral health disorders. After listening to a number of speeches discussing the need for high-quality services for children with special needs, I thought to myself, “this should be a given.” Children with educational and behavioral issues deserve to have easy access to high-quality services. More importantly, they need the opportunity to live a good life. We need to focus on creating environments that provide children who have the most serious and complex educational challenges the opportunity to create new stories of growth and success.   

With the prevalence of special needs students in the U.S. significantly increasing in the last decade, we are seeing a greater demand for effective services and programs designed to meet the needs of children with emotional and behavioral disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), among others. Out of a total education enrollment – 1,787,351 – in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the 2009-2010 school year, 15 percent of these students are enrolled in special education – further underscoring the need for effective programming and support in this region.  

For more than a decade, New Story (formerly Milestones Achievement Centers of America and Milestones Community Healthcare), the leading provider of private schools and services in Pennsylvania, has helped children with the most serious and complex behavioral and educational challenges live good lives. Our name “New Story” reflects what we do each and every day – we create an environment where children can grow and succeed, regardless of their challenges.   

Through our schools and services, we change people’s lives and give them an opportunity to lead a high-quality life in ways they never thought possible. We welcome each child into our family and provide them with a comprehensive and individualized program -- teaching them the necessary skills needed to create new stories of hope and success.

As an example, a parent of a child in one of our therapeutic summer camps said, “I can’t say thank you enough for providing Emilie with such a stimulating summer program. I appreciate the individual attention she has received. We have all noticed the improvement in Emilie’s behavior at home.”  

This testimonial underscores the success we have with the children in our programs. Our aim is to teach the children the skills they need so they can learn how to cope with their issues and be successful at home and in school. The ultimate goal is to have the children return to their home school and continue to grow and succeed.

As we serve many communities throughout the PA region, we want to show our commitment and support beyond the schools and services that we offer. To that end, New Story recently announced the New Story Fund designed to help support families facing challenges, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), emotional support needs, mental retardation or other developmental disabilities. The Fund will grant $50,000 each year ($25,000 disbursed twice a year) to help families throughout Pennsylvania who don’t have the funds to access goods and services needed to best support their children. For more information about the fund, or to nominate a family, please visit www.newstory.com/fund.

Our goal is to create many successful new stories by continuing to grow and expand our offerings to better serve children with educational, emotional and behavioral challenges.

For more information visit: www.newstory.com