George Crothers Memorial School (GCMS)
We are an Approved Private School (APS) serving children living with intellectual and physical disabilities, including programs for students identified as medically complex, ages 5-21.
George Crothers Memorial School
The CADES George Crothers Memorial School (GCMS) at CADES is a Pennsylvania Department of Education licensed Approved Private School serving children 3-21 years with intellectual and physical disabilities. We specialize in teaching students identified with multiple disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and Traumatic Brain Injury, including students who are medically fragile.
- Open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-2:45pm
- We also offer an Extended School Year (ESY) program providing nursing, education and therapeutic services to ensure that students maintain their progress towards goal achievement attained during the school year
- Certified teachers expertly trained in special education combine research-based teaching, technology, therapeutic and medical supports tailored to meet students’ needs.
- Small classes and low student-teacher ratios allow for personalized instruction and supports that foster success and nurture independence.
- The GCMS therapy team utilizes an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to education. Our therapists and speech pathologists support a collaborative approach to therapy, which enhances our student experience throughout the school day. As a part of the IEP team, the therapists work closely with teachers and classroom staff to provide integrated therapy strategies to maximize learning.
- At GCMS, on-site professional nursing staff is available at all times throughout the day to provide medication, specialized treatment, and coordination with families.
- GCMS offers 5 classrooms dedicated to Verbal Behavior theories and adapting them to the CADES methodology, where students with various abilities can thrive. Spaces are available for early elementary age to high school transition age students who demonstrate the need for research based specified teaching procedures in Applied Behavior Analysis.
- CADES Achievers is our student centered transition program which empowers students ages 14-21 to reach their highest potential in both the educational environment and in the community. Support and guidance are provided to students and families in order to seamlessly connect them with adult service providers and guide their transition into meaningful futures.
- CADES Achievers draws from best-practice techniques while utilizing an integrated and collaborative approach to create opportunities for students to practice vocational skills, social skills, and life skills to support meaningful participation and success in their adult lives.
Children who are eligible for the CADES George Crothers Memorial School Program should be:
- Eligible students must be ages 5-21
- CADES GCMS students reside in Delaware County and surrounding counties
- GCMS 2022-2023 Covid Health and Safety Plan.
- On July 8th, 2022, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, approved the Omnibus Education Bill, HB1642, which includes language that seems to extend the additional year of education due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided under Act 66 to special education students who turned 21 during the 2021-2022 school year. More specifically, Section 1383 of the bill provides that a student with a disability who reached the age of 21 during the 2021-2022 school year, or between the end of the 2021-2022 school year and the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, is entitled to attend school for the 2022-2023 school year, so long as the student’s parent or guardian elect to enroll the student by August 1, 2022. The bill also directs the PA Department of Education to develop a form for families to elect to enroll the eligible child for an additional year. HB 1642 also makes it clear that those eligible special education students who enroll by August 1st and have an active IEP, shall remain eligible for special education under the IDEA for the entirety of the 2022-2023 school year.
Further information about Act 55 can be accessed on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website.
Click here for Act 55 of 2022 Student Enrollment Notification Form for the 2022-23 School Year - ARP ESSER Health and Safety Plan Guidance & Template
- Pa Family Network: https://www.visionforequality.org/programs/pa-family-network/
- Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF): https://patf.us/who-we-are/publications/funding-your-assistive-technology/
- (PACER’S) National Parent Center on Transition and Employment: https://www.pacer.org/transition/
- Going to College: http://going-to-college.org/
- The Delaware County Advocacy & Resource Organization: https://www.delcoadvocacy.org/
- Behavior Revolution : https://thebehaviorrevolution.com/
The George Crothers Memorial School at CADES is committed to the overall safety and well-being of our students and educators.
To live up to that commitment, we believe we can have the most impact when we involve parents, teachers, support staff, administrators, local law enforcement, mental health & wellness professionals, and elected officials to take meaningful action to protect our students, staff, and community.
As a part of that effort, GCMS is joining school districts across Pennsylvania in rolling out the anonymous reporting system – Safe2Say Something (S2SS).
Specifically, the program educates participants to:
- Recognize the warning signs and signals of at-risk behaviors (especially within social media) that may be a threat to the individual or others
- Take every sign and signal seriously; act quickly to get help by telling a trusted adult, or
- Report it anonymously through the S2SS Office of the Attorney General 24/7 Crisis Center, mobile app, or website
- Respond to and manage the submitted tip via a school-based threat assessment teams comprised of educators and administrators
S2SS is a life-saving school safety program that teaches students, educators, and administrators how to recognize the signs and signals of individuals who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and anonymously report this information through the S2SS app, website, or 24/7 Crisis Center Hotline. The following provides an overview of how the program works and will be implemented in schools:
Safe2Say Something works through 5 easy steps:
- A tip is submitted via mobile app, website, or by calling the PA based 24/7 Crisis Center
- Website: www.safe2sapa.org
- Tip-line: 1-844-SAF2SAY (1-844-723-2729)
- Mobile App for Apple and Android Devices
- The tip is then triaged by the Crisis Center to gather enough information to act on it
- The tip is delivered to the impacted school and, as needed, local law enforcement
- The school and, as needed, local law enforcement, assess and intervene with the at-risk individual
- The school then closes out the tip and reports actions taken as a record for their school
For more information, click on these LINKS:
Families interested in exploring George Crothers Memorial School at CADES should contact our Admissions Coordinator to arrange a tour and receive introductory information.
CADES GCMS PROGRAM STAFF SPOTLIGHTS
Meet some of the dedicated staff who support the people we serve at our GCMS program.
Paraeducators
Specialists and Therapists
Teachers
