It’s special to them: Christian school founders start microschools for special-ed students
When it comes to helping special-needs kids, Christian microschools are stepping up to the table.
A table is exactly what inspired Beverly Smith to name her school The King’s Table, which…
When it comes to helping special-needs kids, Christian microschools are stepping up to the table.
A table is exactly what inspired Beverly Smith to name her school The King’s Table, which is near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
“I was looking for a place for my son to get the level of care that he needed for his education,” says Smith, who has a son with special needs. “And I had this thought, ‘if it doesn’t exist, you need to create it.’”
She was seeking a dedicated special-education classroom instead of a school that offered both special education and mainstream classes. After almost three years of work, she’s found the right teacher, approach and space to host her school, which seeks to help students “discover and develop their identity in Christ and God given gifts so they overflow with hope and joy.”
The King’s Table opened last month with four students, which makes figuring out the first-year “bumps and transitions” easier, she says.
“It’s God’s grace and design, knowing this was the right size to start with.”
The school’s name comes from the story in 2 Samuel 9 in which David shows kindness to Jonathan’s disabled son, Mephibosheth, telling him he would always eat at the king’s table, a value the school tries to reflect.
“Whether we have a disability or anything that we do in life, nothing disqualifies us from coming to God,” Smith says. “He’s always willing and ready for us to come to the table.”
She purchased a table for the classroom where students do group activities and eat. It also serves as a reminder that “God is always for us and wants to abundantly supply for us,” she says.
One early success is a little girl named Joy who gave her life to Jesus during the first month of school.
“Ultimately, that is our primary goal,” says Smith. “We have to capture the heart of the children to get to the mind of the children because the heart is of the utmost importance. That’s our verse for the year, ‘Guard your heart above all else because it is the wellspring of life,’” she says, quoting Proverbs 4:23.
Challenges include keeping tuition affordable for special-needs families, many of whom are already paying for extra therapies for their kids.
“I’m working hard to be able to provide scholarships for families so that the tuition isn’t so large that it’s not financially feasible,” she says of the $12,000 annual cost. Pennsylvania has two tax credit scholarships, and Smith is “always looking for people willing to contribute through scholarships” and direct donations.
Despite the rigors, she’s undaunted.
“It’s been absolutely amazing to see my heart’s desire, especially as a mother,” Smith says, “to have this place where I know every day my son is being nurtured spiritually, academically, emotionally and getting everything I’ve dreamed that he should get each day when he comes to school to learn.”
Love Across the Spectrum
Meghan Melchor started Lionheart Academy near Wichita, Kansas, to help students with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities in a homeschool setting.
Melchor, a former public school special education teacher, was asked to homeschool one of her former students. Once she agreed and began sharing this at her church’s special needs’ ministry, other families wanted in.
Lionheart opened in her home this fall with five kids. Another student is about to join, and two more are likely coming in January, which would put her close to capacity.
In contrast with the public school, Melchor loves starting each day in prayer and teaching kids the Bible, as well as being able to provide a comfortable environment, something that cuts down on sensory issues.
“We can turn down the lights if we need to,” she says. “We can take shoes off if we need to. We can snuggle on the couch to read or whatever the kids are needing. I feel like that’s made a huge impact.”
One mother reports her son’s stress level has gone down significantly at Lionheart. He used to struggle with going to the dentist, but recently sat through an appointment with no behaviors, Melchor says. Similarly, he hadn’t worn his glasses for years but now is asking for a new pair.
Melchor likes the flexibility a small homeschool provides, but she’s not opposed to expansion. Once her basement is full, she and her husband are considering putting a building on their land or finding a new home for the school.
Lionheart is registered as a homeschool co-op and charges $7,200 a year for a four-day school week. One student is currently on scholarship and, as many educators, the Melchors have raised a small scholarship fund because they “don’t want this to be a place people can’t access because of finances.”
There’s a glaring need for Christian programs for children with special needs, she says, especially for students who require more than just a few in-class accommodations.
“That doesn’t exist here,” she says, except for one school that is 45 minutes away, “and families are really hungry for that and really heartbroken” without it.
Called to the Least
Amber Okole-Ebube started a homeschool group at her house in 2018. Last year it became Leading Little Arrows microschool in Irving, Texas. The Dallas-area school meets Monday through Thursday and offers a Friday co-op that is open to anyone, including homeschoolers.
The school’s mission is “to provide rest and rejuvenation to the stressed out, overwhelmed and overworked homeschooling parent.”
Little Arrows welcomes kids of all abilities, including those with special needs. From the start, Okole-Ebube has tried to include people of differing socio-economic backgrounds.
“We want to be multicultural, and that includes more than just race,” she says. “I specifically look for the least of these: children with autism, ADHD, single parents.”
Her church is “very generous with the rent,” so parents “don’t have to make upwards of six figures to have a quality education” for their kids.
She and her husband have four children, and also adopted their niece, who is now 22. One daughter, Gracie, is special-needs.
“God had been calling me to homeschool Gracie,” Okole-Ebube says. “I wanted a place where she felt loved and accepted. I felt like if I put her in a classroom they were just tolerating her. The other kids were playing and she’d be off in the corner.”
When she couldn’t find a homeschool group that would work for Gracie and the public school wasn’t working either, God broke in.
“I was battling the public school for her rights to be executed,” Okole-Ebube says. “Finally, God just arrested my heart: ‘She thrives with you. Why are you fighting to put her in a place where they can’t handle her?’”
Now she’s welcoming Gracie and other students who need a new fit. The school’s name comes from the oft-quoted verse, “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6), but Okole-Ebube says the verse is really saying “study the arrow and the way it’s bent,” meaning find the education that is right for the particular child.
She charges $8,500 per year and has won grants to help keep costs down. She’s also found therapists and others to contribute to the school at free or reduced rates.
“People come in, see the work that we’re doing, and they give us discounted rates because they believe in what we’re doing,” she says.
The school’s already seen success with students such as “Sonny,” who came in non-verbal and struggled to sit still. Okole-Ebube helped his parents get better resources, such as therapies and testing. She’s a strong believer in working with parents, not just the children.
Now, “this little boy is talking, he’s sitting down, learning how to write sentences,” she says. “Another boy was supposed to be a 5th-grader last year. He was testing K-2. He has reached the 6th-grade level in reading, and we’re still testing in math.”
The school is at 20, which is close to capacity, but she’s wanting to scale the model.
“I don’t think it’s going to be just a little school in Irving,” Okole-Ebube says. “There is a need across America to serve children of all abilities, and as I’m feeling called and I’m talking to parents and I’m talking to other microschool founders, there’s a desire to serve children with special needs but maybe not understanding how to break into that or what the steps are. Well, I do have a proven model, so I would love to partner with other schools to scale out.”
For that she’s turned to SchoolBox, the same program Smith and Melchor used to launch their schools (SchoolBox is offered by Herzog Foundation, publisher of The Lion).
The Mentor Difference
Homer Allen, a former Christian school head, serves as the mentor for all three schools, as SchoolBox provides a mentor to participants who complete the program’s initial steps. Allen can’t say enough good things about these women and their work helping special-needs learners.
“Running a school like that is not an easy thing,” he says, explaining school founders need something he calls “the four-C principle: Courage, Culture, Community and Curriculum.
“They’ve all fought through things, dealt with setbacks, even unexpected physical ailments,” burdens he calls “the demons against Christ-centered schools.
“It’s not easy. ‘Is God really in this? Am I really doing this?’ are the questions on their heart and mind. But they push forward. They say, ‘No, this is me doing something for the children who need to have a loving school that’s right for them.’”
Smith, of The King’s Table, describes the sentiment she and the other founders share: It’s part of their ministry and calling from God.
“I just picture the scenario where Jesus is welcoming the children,” she says. “He’s welcoming them all, just like we are all welcomed at the king’s table and are all offered the gift of salvation.
“In the Bible, there isn’t any designation between who should be receiving God’s attention or his love. You bring his good news and love to all the children. We each have a call to which population we may reach out to.”
(Photo courtesy of The King’s Table Schoolhouse)