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Gateways is proud to be a beneficiary
of Combined Jewish Philanthropies
and grateful to the Ruderman Family Foundation and the Slingshot Fund
for their generous support.
Jewish Day School Program
Gateways provides on-site special education services that go beyond what the students’ schools offer. Children in participating schools receive in-class and out of class assistance from team members including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and reading and learning specialists. You can view a chart of our staff below.
Gateways works with students, teachers and each school's special education staff to help students generalize developmental, academic and social skills and strategies to the classroom.
In addition, the therapists assist teachers with curriculum modifications and provide teachers with professional development, including weekly coaching.
Gateways is grateful for the ongoing support of Boston's Combined Jewish Philanthropies, their Initiative for Day School Excellence and its Commission on Jewish Day School Education.
Click here to learn more about Gateways' community model for special education services.
Gateways Student Support Programs
Gateways offers speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, reading, learning, and behavior specialties. Students receive small group and/or individual therapy in and out of the classroom. The emphasis is on helping the student to build skills and apply these skills and strategies into their classroom learning. Therapists meet with teachers to share ideas and develop plans for the student. Social skills are also addressed with students in a variety of ways: during group activities, at recess, in social skills groups and in the classroom.
For students who need more intensive instruction to develop reading and writing skills, Gateways provides an intensive language-arts alternative to the classroom. This class focuses on explicit teaching of skills including reading comprehension and decoding, written language, and word study (phonics, spelling and vocabulary).
The Gateways staff is highly trained and experienced. They use a combination of specialized programs and activities with students, and most importantly, they consider what works best for the child. Download "Therapist's Corner" for a sample of activities for children.
Financial Information for Families
Gateways Classroom Programs
The therapist works with the entire class, one period per week, to instruct students and model techniques for the teacher. In addition, the therapist helps the teacher to integrate the program into daily teaching. Examples of whole class programs include: Engine Run (an Alert Program, which teaches children to get to their just right state for learning), social skills, printing and handwriting.
Gateways Team Teaching and Co-Teaching Programs
Another option for students who need more services, but are able to work within the school’s curriculum, is a class that is co-taught by the school’s teacher and a Gateways specialist. The teacher and specialist collaborate to plan lessons, curriculum modifications and learning strategies.
Gateways Consultation, Professional Development & Teacher Coaching Programs
Gateways presents workshops to school staff, and pair these workshops with more in-depth work with teachers. As part of the teacher coaching, the Gateways specialist meets with the teacher regularly outside of the classroom, in order to help the teacher understand students’ learning styles and differentiated instruction, and plan lessons. In class, the specialist models alternative teaching strategies and assists the teacher with the implementation of differentiated instruction and classroom accommodations. Coaching is also available for the school’s support staff to help them better identify students with learning needs, support differentiated instruction in the classroom, and provide students with skills and strategies.
Gateways works with teachers in both general and Judaic studies and assist the schools with curriculum mapping in these areas as well. In addition, through literacy trainings, Gateways work with schools to promote student reading success by updating the school’s curriculum and training teachers.
The support that Gateways gives a teacher enhances the teacher’s ability to reach all students.
