CDC provides wide range of classes, services

By DANIELLE LYNCH

CALN — Inside the Child and Career Development Center, it looks like any other public school. From the hallways to the office, it looks the same.
“Some classrooms you’ll look into and have no idea there are children with special needs,” said the principal, Susan Mateka. “It’s a special-education center but considered a public school.”
The Child and Career Development Center is a school facilitated by the Chester County Intermediate Unit. It services approximately 485 students between the ages of 5 and 21 that live within the 12 school districts in Chester County, according to Mateka.
In addition, the CDC services students that live in the seven school districts located outside of the county, she said. The school district makes a referral for a student because they don’t have a program that can meet the needs of the child, Mateka said. And the CDC services are funded by the school district which also provides transportation for the students.
Services are provided to students with a wide range of disabilities and include emotional, learning, life skills, multi-disability and autistic support, according to Mateka. The CDC provides pre-vocational training and work experience. There’s also occupational therapy and physical therapy available for students who need it according to their Individualized Education Plans. Speech, language, vision and hearing support are available.
All students receive adapted physical education, too, Mateka said. The CDC also provides social skills training and a mental health program, she said.
There are 69 professionals and 60 classrooms in the CDC, according to Mateka.
Every teacher is special-education certified and a “paraprofessional,” or aide, is in every classroom. The average class size ranges from about 8 to 15 students depending on certain regulations, and students are grouped with others within the same three-year age span, she said.
The CDC follows the same calendar schedule as other public schools, Mateka said. In the summer, the school provides a five-week extended school year program which eligible students are entitled to, she said.
Similar to other public schools, the CDC has guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers and a dean, Mateka said. Students get the same “specials” such as art and music that are available at typical public schools, she said.
The CDC helps students get intense, individualized, comprehensive services, Mateka said.
“Our main focus is to teach them,” she said, adding that the school tries to teach functional skills to help students reach their full potential and be successful in the world.
Mateka, who graduated from West Chester University in 1986 with a degree in special education, has worked as a teacher and now an administrator.
“It’s challenging because there’s so many needs in the building that they have to make sure are being met,” she said of her job as a special needs principal.
She said the paperwork is intense in special education and there are many laws.
“It doesn’t take teachers away from the day, but it causes them to spend a lot of extra hours (at work),” Mateka said. “Good teachers put in a lot of hours whether they are in special education or regular education,” she said, adding that there are just added expectations with special education.
Additional responsibilities of special education include IEP evaluation reports and progress monitoring, Mateka said.
Music teacher Paula Bewley, who is also the training coordinator with the county’s Special Olympics, has been a special-education teacher for 33 years. She teaches a combination of music education and music therapy to students and also assists with the handbell choir, three choruses and the drama club.
“Because of the legality and documenting from the state, you have a lot of paperwork,” Bewley said. “The paperwork is a lot.”
For more information about the Child and Career Development Center, visit http://www.cciu.org/Departments/StudentServices/CDC.

To contact staff writer Danielle Lynch, send an e-mail to dlynch@dailylocal.com.