A new autism treatment school is set to open in January, giving parents of autistic students another option.
The Joshua School, which has been operating a 40-student school in Englewood for seven years, plans to rent space for a Boulder location at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 7077 Harvest Road in Gunbarrel. The nonprofit school also has met its first fundraising goal for the new campus, raising $75,000.
"Many of our kids come from the region around Boulder," said Jason Gruhl, executive director of The Joshua School. "This will allow kids to get services in their home community."
He said the Boulder school, which is accepting applications, will serve about 16 students ages 6 to 21, expanding in future years based on the needs of families in northern Colorado. A preschool also is part of the expansion plans. While the school specializes in autism, it also serves students with other developmental disabilities.
The school is authorized by the Colorado Department of Education to receive state and district funding. Most students who attend the school are placed there by school districts, which cover the cost of tuition. Parents also may decide to enroll a child and cover the tuition themselves.
Boulder Valley now has five students attending The Joshua School's Englewood campus, said Michelle Brenner, the district's assistant director of special education. She said a team that includes teachers, specialists and the parents decide on the placement based on the child's specific needs.
"It's a decision that's made because there's something we can't provide that student," she said.
Gruhl said he and the five other school founders taught in a program for autistic children in Denver Public Schools. Frustrated by a lack of resources and the challenges of a large school system, they researched schools and clinics across the country, cashed in retirement funds and opened The Joshua School. The school is named after an autistic student who passed away.
The school enrolls students with a range of needs, from those with significant disabilities to those who are higher-functioning, Gruhl said. But all students come to the school because "no one has been able to move these children forward," he said.
"Districts send us the toughest kids," he said.
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School for autistic children opening in Boulder