Mt. Pleasant Blythedale UFSD is a New York State public, special act school district, chartered in 1971 to serve the highly specialized needs of the patients of Blythedale Children’s Hospital.
Children in grades K through 12, who require intensive rehabilitation and medical care, attend school either as inpatients or through Blythedale’s Day Hospital Program. There is also a preschool, special education program that accepts community Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) referrals. Each day is a dynamic interplay of medical care, therapies, and education. All children receive daily medical and nursing care, physical, occupational and/or speech therapy, as well as appropriate medical consultation based on an individualized treatment plan. Education is a vital component of the rehabilitation program, and our multidisciplinary approach ensures that students receive coordinated services. Mount Pleasant Blythedale (MPB) offers them a comprehensive, public school alternative to homebound instruction.
Mount Pleasant Blythedale offers all New York State accredited diploma options, including Regents diplomas. There is also a General Educational Development (GED) preparation program for students ages 16 and up. All teachers are certified by New York State in special education, and either a secondary content area or elementary education. Teachers provide specialized learning environments to address the academic, social and emotional needs of students in small class settings. The instructional programs are congruent with the New York State Learning Standards and the Common Core Curriculum. They are designed to address Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals while simultaneously helping students to maximize their learning potential and work toward grade level standards and recognized secondary credentials. Special subjects, such as technology, art, music and library are also part of the school curriculum. The District is governed by the Regulations of the New York State Education Department.
Mount Pleasant Blythedale is a public school district and New York State residents attend tuition free. Out-of-state students attend by referral from their home school districts. At the time of discharge, a comprehensive transition program helps students, parents and local school districts identify appropriate placement options. Even though they are patients in a hospital, children are encouraged to pursue the primary tasks of childhood and adolescence: having fun and growing emotionally, socially and academically.
- Services provided in 32,000 square foot, state-of-the-art school building, attached to Blythedale Children’s Hospital
- Experienced nursing staff
- Differentiated instruction
- Central Westchester location, convenient to the New York City boroughs, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley, including Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Dutchess counties
- Medical supervision by Board-certified pediatricians and pediatric specialists
- Largest hospital-based pediatric therapy department in New York State, with 75 full-time pediatric therapists (physical, occupational, respiratory, speech pathology and feeding)
- MPB can accommodate 120 school-aged children and 24 preschoolers
- Transportation is provided by the child’s home school district, by school bus or ambulette
- Full-day program runs 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- Flexible schedule to accommodate intensive therapy regimens
- Transition services to ensure successful return to community
- Extended year/summer school programming
- Parent support groups
