Best Elementary Schools on the West Coast

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allforhim:)

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I am a single father living in Alaska with my 8 year old son who is Deaf. We primarily communicate with ASL but he does have a C.I. We have been in speech therapy ever since his implant and he now has the ability to understand such terms as "Time to eat", "Buckle Up", "Time for Bed" etc..I want only the best for him and his mother doesn't want me moving too far away so, when I asked to move to Washington D.C. to take him to Kendall Elementary she wasn't thrilled. He will be with me during the school year and her during the summers. Which you can't beat the Alaskan summers :lol:

What are the best elementary options for my son on the West Coast?

Any information would be a big help :ty:
 
Need a specific place in west coast - or are we talking about Alaska?
 
No place specific but we would be moving from Alaska to somewhere else on the west coast. California, Oregon, Washington, Montana etc. Any info would be a big help :) Thanks.
 
allforhim:) said:
No place specific but we would be moving from Alaska to somewhere else on the west coast. California, Oregon, Washington, Montana etc. Any info would be a big help :) Thanks.
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Off the top of my head, right now try to avoid inclusion. It can work well sometimes, but it's also like pulling teeth to get decent accomonations. Plus at mainstream schools, it's very rare that anyone is even really familiar with dhh ed. The elementary school programs at most deaf schools are pretty good. The California Deaf Schools are quite good. California School for the Deaf - Fremont, CA. and California School for the Deaf, Riverside |

California also offers some pretty decent dhh programs. Oregon School is also a good one. Oregon School for the Deaf
Not sure about regional dhh programs there.
Washington School I don't know anything about.......Montana School is small and says on it's site that it serves a lot of kids with additional disabilities...I think too it's the only formal Deaf Ed option in Montana (ie no dhh programs)
It does serve HOH kids and seems to have a partnership with local elementary and high schools. Montana School for the Deaf & Blind
OH ...maybe contact American Society for Deaf Children - Home, and see what they suggest/offer.
 
One question.... does he have oral skills? I do remember a mother of a Deaf voice off girl saying that she was very isolated in her Deaf program b/c the other kids talked and left her out......and people have said that it does seem like kids in dhh Sign programs are getting more oral. There ARE still a lot of kids who are Voice off...but you'd most likely find a lot of voice off kids at Deaf Schools.......just a thought....there ARE some dhh programs that have voice off kids.....
 
If you're considering moving to Orange County (near Los Angeles), I would recommend maintstreaming school such as Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana. And when he's ready to enter Jr. High School, it will be in Irvine and then to University High School. There's another great maintstreaming schools in south Los Angeles area that I'm not really familiar with.

To live in Orange County/Los Angeles County, it's not worth to attend California School for Deaf - Riverside because you won't see your kid for a week because it's a boarding school while there's a great mainstreaming schools in OC/LA area.
 
You might find a terrific school but the town you live in might be awful. If your considering California, South Los Angeles for example, IMO not a great place to live. Fremont California is a nicer area but any place you go in our state is expensive. I have lived in California my whole life and I think it is a great place to live. Good luck in your decision.
 
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