Since 1982 the SINAI Schools have provided unparalleled excellence in education for children and young adults with special needs. SINAI is the only Jewish day school for children with special needs that has received the coveted accreditation from the Middle States
Association of Colleges and Schools. Through our schools and residential programs
that are both Judaic and secular, we meet the individual educational, psychological and emotional needs of children, teenagers and youngadults who present a wide variety of learning and developmental disabilities including cognitive, sensory, academic, social, emotional or behavioral deficits.
As you learn more about us, you will understand why students travel every day from all over the greater New York metropolitan area in order to attend to our schools – and why families relocate from all over the world in order to take advantage of our unique and truly excellent programs.
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SINAI Schools
The SINAI Schools encompass two elementary schools, three high schools and two transitional group residences for young adults. Since we operate within “host” schools, many of our children are mainstreamed for portions of the day, both academically and socially, into regular school classes and extra-curricular activities --- a powerful process whose results richly reward both student populations.
Elementary Schools:- SINAI elementary school at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy - (Livingston, NJ) K-8
- SINAI elementary school at Yavneh Academy which includes the Riva Blatt Weinstein Judaic Studies Program (Paramus, NJ)
- The Rabbi Mark & Linda Karasick Shalem High Schools (Teaneck, NJ)
- Boys High School at Torah Academy of Bergen County
- Girls High School at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls
- Maor at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School (Livingston, NJ)
- The Nathan Miller SHELI (Supported Housing Environment for Learning Independence) Residence for Men (Teaneck, NJ)
- The SHELI Residence for Women (Teaneck, NJ)
A Uniquely Special Education
What does “A Uniquely Special Education” mean?- It means tailoring a unique educational program for each child with special needs – an individualized program that addresses the unique needs of the child and that uncovers and builds upon the unique strengths of the child.
- It means maximizing each child’s individual potential, nurturing a sense of pride in his or her religious heritage, and helping each child discover opportunities to fulfill his or her dreams.
- It means enabling each child to use the gifts given to him or her by the Almighty to become an active, contributing member of our community and society.
- It means reaching and enlightening a child who previously has known darkness. In many cases, families turn to us after their children have failed at other mainstream and special education facilities.
- It means having an extraordinarily dedicated, talented and devoted team of professionals – caring instructors with extensive training and practical experience, who employ the finest of special education techniques.
- And it means growing an educational institution that rises to the financial challenges inherent in having a professional staff-to-student ratio greater than 1:2.
Curriculum
Elementary level core curriculum includes language arts, math, science, and social studies, as well as Judaic studies including prayers, Hebrew language, laws and customs, Bible, and Talmud. In classes ranging in size from six to nine students (with each class divided into smaller educational groupings with the needed teacher:student ratio), emphasis is placed on building individualized educational plans and compensatory strategies, such as multi-sensory approaches, to meet specific learning challenges. Social skills, work-study, peer tutoring and introductory vocational programs provide additional support.
Our high schools offer a full academic curriculum guided by a tailor-made education plan targeting each student’s needs and learning style. Full-scale athletic programs and a variety of extra-curricular activities, which enrich the high school experience, are available to all students through our host schools. Students are also given opportunities to explore, learn, and realize a vocation by learning skills in real work settings so they can later compete in a competitive marketplace.
Mainstreaming within our host schools is a hallmark of the educational and life experience that we provide in all our schools. We provide “academic mainstreaming” for the many SINAI children who, with our support, are able to participate in “regular” school classes for academic subjects. All of our children benefit from “social mainstreaming” with host school children, by participating in recess, lunch, prayers, gym and other activities. Mainstreaming provides important benefits to our children, as well as to the children of the host schools who interact with them.
Many of our graduates attend colleges and institutions of higher learning. Some have gone on to receive Masters Degrees and Rabbinic ordination. Many have married and have children.
To students with developmental disabilities who are not on a college track, we teach not only basic literacy and math, but also life skills and provide vocational preparation and placement. We provide counseling and transitional planning for independent living, as well as integration into the community.
Our Adult Transitional Programs stress a structured weekly schedule that includes self-care tasks, regular synagogue attendance, household chores and social and recreational activities. Overseeing vocational placement enables our residents to work and come home to a “family” of peers.
Jewish education, integral to all our programs, enables our children to connect with their families and communities. Our children gain knowledge and understanding of their heritage so that they may participate in our holidays and traditions alongside their “normal” brothers and sisters.
Faculty
Much of our success is due to the quality of the staff. The growth and development of our students is directly related to the warmth, sensitivity, creativity and talents of the many individuals with whom they come in contact. These individuals include program directors, special education teachers, psychologists, guidance personnel, social workers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and job coaches – men and women with intensive theoretical training and practical experience in special needs education.
Support Services
SINAI Schools offer a full range of support services including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, college guidance, vocational training and life skills. Our professional staff-to-student ratio is greater than 1:2. We are privileged to have the opportunity to work together with more than 35 business establishments that provide vocational placement, and we are indebted to them for the opportunities that they afford our students.
Financial
Our tuition is significantly less than the costs to educate and service our children. Additionally, we provide scholarships for students based upon financial hardship. As a result, our costs substantially exceed our tuition revenue.
For each child we admit, we need to generate about $18,000 of fundraising revenues, over and above tuition revenues. Over 40% of our budget must be filled through fundraising.
We are continually and aggressively engaged in fundraising efforts that offer many options for participation. Our “adopt-a-child” program allows donors to sponsor all or a portion of the costs associated with educating a SINAI child. We also offer creative and tax-advantaged giving opportunities that are structured to fit a variety of philanthropic needs, such as the SINAI Schools Charitable Remainder Trust. We have been most fortunate to receive special gifts and dedications that have made an enormous difference in the lives of our children and their families. Our ultimate goal is to be able to provide a Jewish special education that is no more expensive than a “regular” Jewish education.
For further information, please contact our Business Office at (201) 833-1134.
SINAI is a beneficiary agency of UJA Federation of
Northern New Jersey and United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey