The Providence Center School offers a unique learning environment for children in Grades Pre-K through 12 who are experiencing acute behavioral and emotional symptoms.
The Providence Center School is a special education school for students in preschool through grade 12 diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders. Our goal is to prepare students to successfully return to their community schools, enroll in less restrictive programs, graduate from high school, pursue higher education or join the workforce.
Students are referred to TPC School by their home school districts through special education directors.
Our curriculum combines academic instruction guided by Common Core Standards with clinical services, behavioral supports, therapeutic interventions and family support services designed to meet the unique needs of each student. TPC School strives to help students cultivate the ability to manage emotions and behavior in order to become successful learners.
The Providence Center School is fully accredited by the Rhode Island Department of Education.
TPC School’s team of dedicated, experienced academic and clinical professionals includes:
Our individualized, strength-based approach to learning is guided by our values:
At the center of our curriculum is the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards as identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
In order to promote both academic and personal growth, The Providence Center School incorporates these five important areas of development into the curriculum for students of all ages.
The Providence Center School has developed its courses to meet Rhode Island’s Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This standard were created as a result of a multi-state effort to establish a shared set of clear standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics. By following these standards, TPC School is able to ensure our students are learning the same material as students across Rhode Island, eventually allowing for a smooth transition back to their district school or into the workplace.
The Providence Center School’s weekly character education program provides students with opportunities to practice personal and interpersonal skills to improve social and emotional functioning and establish positive relationships.
Through the use of media, therapeutic games and activities, role-play exercises and discussion, students learn appropriate skills for:
Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship
The six “pillars of character” are integrated throughout the curriculum to help students practice essential skills:
Teachers have an active role in assuring that the students’ new skills are incorporated into their daily routines both at school and home.
Clinical support at The Providence Center School draws on students’ strengths to inform the emotional, social or behavioral interventions that will set them on a path to success. This strength-based system allows therapeutic interventions to be tailored to each student’s unique abilities and needs, empowering him or her to make positive changes.
The Providence Center School has been a participant in Rhode Island’s statewide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program since 2007. PBIS focuses on creating a community culture in the school that emphasizes positive behavioral and academic expectations.
Additional services are available to current TPC School students to support their academic and clinical progress. These related services are included in the tuition.
A licensed occupational therapist is on-site to assess and treat students who demonstrate a significant delay with fine motor skills, visual perception, organizational abilities, and/or sensory processing abilities. Recommendations for modification and adaptation of the student’s supplies, materials, activities or environment are provided to the student’s teacher and parent/guardian. Therapy services are conducted in small groups or with the entire classroom.
A licensed speech/language pathologist helps staff and parents understand behaviors by assessing communication patterns and identifying communication disorders, such as articulation, language, voice and stuttering. He or she conducts individual therapy, consults with the student’s teacher about the most effective ways to facilitate the student’s communication in the classroom and works with the student’s family to develop goals and techniques.
All medication administered during school hours will be in accordance with a written order from a licensed health care prescriber and verified by the school nurse teacher. When recommended by the clinical team and approved by the parent, students not on medication may be evaluated by a Providence Center child psychiatrist and, when appropriate, prescribed medication with regular monitoring. Medication that is dropped off must include an expiration date and be in the original prescription-labeled container (in the case of a prescription medication) or the manufacturer-labeled container (in the case of a non-prescription medication).
A full-time school nurse teacher is available to assist the student and the parents in achieving and maintaining the students’ physical well being. The nurse monitors growth, immunizations, medications, hearing and vision screening.
Meals are planned by the food manager in accordance with nutritional standards for each age level. Students with food allergies or special nutritional needs (e.g. diabetes, etc.) are accommodated with an individualized food plan.
Contact Information:
Office: 401-276-4556
Mobile: 401-369-3725
Health Information for Parents:
Flu and Norovirus Prevention – English
Flu and Norovirus Prevention – Spanish
Health Forms:
State of Rhode Island School Physical Form
Immunization Exemption Certificates:
Action Plans Templates:
The Early Childhood program is comprised of overlapping classrooms from Pre-K through Grade 1 to ensure that the social and academic needs of each student are met. Stability and security are provided in a nurturing environment to support positive behaviors.
Helping children to acquire the social skills they will need to be successful in a classroom environment is the main goal at this level. A thematic approach is used in an interactive learning environment to integrate the eight domains of the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards:
The K-1 curriculum emphasizes listening and speaking skills while broadening students’ learning experiences and offering opportunities to apply positive coping strategies and self-regulation skills. Educational technology is an integral part of the curriculum. Content areas include:
Grades 2 - 5 challenge students to apply their knowledge in solving everyday problems and engage in hands-on learning. Common Core Standards guide the material taught in the elementary classrooms.
Standards-based units provide students with opportunities for cooperative group activities and community activities. Educational technology is integrated through the use of computer stations and various media presentations. Units cover:
The middle school learning environment (grades 6-8) is student-centered, encouraging them to become active learners. Common Core Standards guide the middle school team in programming and curriculum development.
Learning expectations are set that are commensurate with the experience, needs and potential of young adolescents. Units in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies offer opportunities for students to:
The Providence Center School is committed to guiding young adults to become respectful, ethical, responsible and courteous individuals who can work both independently and cooperatively. The goals for students in the high school program are to:
Proficiency-based Graduation Requirements (PBGR) assure that students demonstrate the ability to meet the state's Common Core Standards for Grades 9-12. The three components of the PBGRs mandated by the state are:
Transitional support for high school students may include working to satisfy the Performance-based Graduation Requirements for a particular school district, arranging to take the SAT, applying for financial aid, applying to college, completing interest inventories and applying for jobs. Trips to visit local college campuses are part of our program.
Vocational support for students 14 and older includes participating in activities designed to enhance their independent living skills and exploring various careers.
Students ages 14 and older engage in activities designed to enhance their independent living skills and explore various careers. They also visit community settings they are likely to encounter in their lives after high school.
Job sampling allows students to build a résumé and identify potential references for future employment, sampling three or four job settings over the course of the school year. Staff transport students to job settings and accompany them during the work period.
High school students volunteer at local organizations or businesses during the school week. Volunteer opportunities include assisting in classrooms at The Providence Center School, or working in various community businesses.
Visits to community businesses provide an additional opportunity for students to experience the workplace. Accompanied by staff, visits include the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Providence Public Safety Building, art galleries, museums, Community College of Rhode Island, RIC, URI and New Urban Arts (an afterschool arts program). Students learn to navigate the RIPTA bus system during these trips.
Small group instruction occurs on topics such as:
520 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906
Main Reception: (401) 276-4531
Fax: (401) 276-4015
Email: info@tpcschool.org
Kate Pollon
Director of Special Education
Phone: (401) 276-4151
Email: KPollon@CareNE.org
Call (401) 276-4015 to contact the following departments:
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