CAHAL schools

CAHAL (Communities Acting to Heighten Awareness and Learning) is a program of self-contained classes for children with various learning challenges from Kindergarten through High School. CAHAL is a partnership, serving students in twelve yeshivas in the 5-Towns, Far Rockaway, West Hempstead, Queens and greater Nassau County. Each school has children... that require a program like CAHAL, yet most do not have enough students on the same grade level to open a class, nor the funding to provide related support services or professional guidance. Only through the yeshivas' joint efforts and CAHAL's outstanding system of classes and services do the children with learning challenges have a school to call their own. As a consortium, decision-making is a joint process, with the involvement of principals and lay leaders from each school. In a beautiful display of unity, meetings and continuous discussions are held each year to discuss the needs of CAHAL and the children in the community. CAHAL classes are in the local yeshivas. This way, the children are not isolated in a separate school, but are in the same school as their friends, neighbors and siblings. Their classroom is adjacent to all the other rooms, and outwardly looks the same. There is no sign on the door that says "CAHAL. CAHAL students and mainstream students jointly participate in all non-academic activities such as class trips, gym, recess, lunch, plays, art, music, and science fairs. The children, therefore, feel like students of the host school rather than students of CAHAL. The goal of the program is to mainstream the children back into regular classes at their home school. As the children develop their learning and social skills, CAHAL will mainstream them into the regular classes. The fact that CAHAL classes are located in the local yeshivas rather than in a separate school helps to facilitate and streamline the mainstreaming process. There are no travel or transportation issues to delay or impede this process. Many children are mainstreamed for one or ...Read More