Who We Serve

We believe in the promise and potential of every student.

Esther B. Clark Schools

Our Students

Esther B. Clark School is designed to meet the educational needs of students with existing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) with one of the following primary eligibilities:

  • Autism
  • Emotional Disturbance
  • Other Health Impaired
  • Specific Learning Disability

While each of our students brings a unique set of experiences, strengths, and attributes to the table, all have experienced challenges in previous school settings that have ultimately prevented them from deriving educational benefit in those settings.

Challenges Our Students May Face

Frequently presented challenges of our student population include, but are not limited to:

Anxiety, depression or other mood dysregulation

Struggles with self-management, disruptivity and/or impulse control in the classroom or on the playground

Acute awareness of discrepancies between self and peers, leading to poor self-image

School refusal and/or escape-maintained behavior during the school day

Poor working memory and/or slow processing speed

Executive functioning struggles (task initiation, work completion, time management)

Difficulty forming and maintaining healthy friendships; socially isolated

Rigid or inflexible thinking; frequent social conflicts

Inaccurate perspective-taking or interpretation of situations

Sensory issues or sensitivities

Low frustration tolerance, ending in fight, flight or freeze behavior

Instances of behavioral escalation to the point of aggression and/or destruction of property

Significant and ongoing mental health challenges, including self-harming behavior

How We Help

At EBC, we can help. With the expertise of EBC’s program and staff, children with social-emotional challenges re-engage in learning and develop positive skills to transition back to a mainstream school environment.

Learn About Our Program
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Enrollment

As a nonpublic school, Esther B. Clark School partners with school districts from all over the Bay Area and beyond to deliver specialized services to meet the educational needs of individual students. The enrollment process is performed via referral from the student’s home school district. To inquire about a potential referral or for more information about our program, please contact: ebcschools@chconline.org.

Enrollment Process for Esther B. Clark Schools Starts at the District Level

  1. If you are interested in placement at EBC, please talk to your home district.
  2. District-based IEP team agrees to seek placement at a nonpublic school.
  3. Student’s home district sends a referral to EBC.
  4. Initial conversation between EBC and caregiver(s) to exchange information and explore a potential placement.
  5. Student and caregiver(s) tour EBC campus, participate in an interview with the EBC leadership team and receive further information about the EBC program.
  6. If all parties are in agreement on the appropriateness of the setting, the student’s district is notified of the student’s official acceptance to EBC.
  7. The district amends the student’s IEP to reflect the addition of specialized services delivered in the nonpublic school setting.
  8. A start date is determined and transportation is arranged.

Because of your staff and your school, our son now has a second chance at an education and of creating a happy, healthy life for himself.

―EBC Parent