The Special Education Student Body Fund is a nonprofit fund established by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) in 1982. It is intended to complement the instructional program offered by SCOE to more than 1,500 children with disabilities. "Regular" school classrooms can often rely upon the support of parents and school fund-raising programs to make possible field trips, team and individual sports, classroom birthday parties, dances, and other student activities. The financial burden placed on many families by their child’s disability makes it difficult for special education students to receive that level of parental support. The staff of SCOE additionally feel it is important that students’ physical and emotional disabilities not be barriers to participation in enrichment activities traditionally viewed as greatly beneficial to children’s social and academic growth and development.
What the Special Education Student Body Fund Has Provided
Contributors to the Special Education Student Body Fund have enabled children to explore nature "hands-on" through a two-day, residential outdoor education program...to experience the fun of bumper bowling...to enjoy pizza parties...to take a memorable sail on the tall ship Californian...to blow out the candles on birthday cakes...to learn from games and toys that would otherwise not be affordable...to discover what it’s like to play on a basketball team (and actually bring home the division championship!)
Special Students, Special Needs: Who are the SCOE Special Education Students?
Infants. When parents give birth to a baby with a serious physical condition, a network of compassion envelops them. Even before the child leaves the hospital, parents are connected with health and education specialists who are trained to help. The Sacramento County Office of Education is a key partner in this continuum of care, working with families to develop and maintain a custom-designed therapy schedule for each child. Speech, hearing, vision and movement therapy techniques, adapted specifically to help an infant attain important developmental milestones, are taught to parents so that they may work one-on-one with their child.
Preschoolers. Trained teachers and aides work with young students individually and in small groups, enabling children to develop physically and intellectually, and at their own pace. Adaptive toys and equipment serve a dual purpose: they delight the young students while helping them develop key motor and thinking skills. Behavioral therapists, art therapists, social workers, counselors, nurses and other professionals are part of the education team. The California Department of Education has named one of the SCOE preschool classrooms as a demonstration site for exemplary early childhood special education.
Grades K-12 and beyond. Classrooms for ambulatory and non-ambulatory children grades K-12 are situated at school sites throughout Sacramento County, including California State University, Sacramento. Learning takes place not just in the classroom, under the direction of specially trained educators and assistants, but in the community as well. Participation in sports and "service learning" community activities help students connect and contribute to the greater world around them. A Transition Fair is held each spring for hundreds of disabled students and their families to provide information about opportunities for college, employment, residential or independent living, and other services. “School to world” job training, such as that provided by the innovative Culinary Café, provides high school students vocational skills and assistance in securing employment. One of SCOE’s vision specialists was selected as Sacramento County Office of Education Teacher of the Year 2000.
Contributing to the Special Education Student Body Fund
Contributions to the Special Education Student Body Fund are always welcome. Checks should be made payable to Sacramento County Office of Education/Student Body Fund (or SCOE/SBF) and mailed to 9738 Lincoln Village Drive, Sacramento, CA 95827. Additional information about the Special Education Student Body Fund is available by phoning the SCOE Special Education/Special Services Department: (916) 228-2380.