The Providence Center School

The Providence Center School is a unique, special needs school serving children in grades pre-K through 12 who are experiencing acute behavioral and emotional symptoms. Fully licensed by the Department of Education, The Providence Center School serves children and adolescents who have been referred for special needs education by school systems throughout Rhode Island. Our goal is to prepare students to be successful learners in traditional community school settings.

Our team of certified special education teachers, teaching assistants, and master's-level clinical therapists work together in the same location to address each student's academic, social, therapeutic, and mental health needs. The school also develops Individual Education Plans (IEP) for each student. Depending on the child's unique needs, IEP goals may include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and psychiatric evaluation and counseling, all of which are provided on-site.

Distinctive Mental Health Expertise
In addition to offering special needs education, the school's association with other Providence Center programs gives us the expertise to serve children with diagnoses such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Anxiety, Bi-Polar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Depression, and Asperger's Syndrome.

Safe and Productive Learning Environment
We keep our classes small, averaging about seven students, with a 2.5:1 student to adult ratio. Warm classroom environments encourage learning and comfort. In every classroom, the teaching and learning philosophy includes:

Relationship-Building
Teachers and therapists build individual relationships with their students in order to discover what works best both therapeutically and academically for each child.

Problem-Solving
Children are given the support they need to learn socially appropriate solutions to problems they encounter both at school and outside of school.

Predictability and Choice
At The Providence Center School children don't have to guess. They learn how we expect them to behave while they're in school and the specific, predictable consequences of their behavior. We believe that appropriate behavior needs to be rewarded and recognized in positive ways. When problems arise, teachers explore the positive alternatives, empowering our students to choose the most appropriate solution.

Other Services
Our faculty and staff work with families to smooth the transition between home and school. We also offer inclusion opportunities, school visits, and trips to the YMCA and recreation centers.

Our school year is 220 days which provides students the opportunity to maintain the gains they make each day throughout the year.

Wish list for The Providence Center School

To schedule an appointment, please call Principal Marty Morris at 401-276-4000
or 401-276-4020.