Serendipity Center

Highly Engaged Employees

Serendipity Center was opened in 1979 with a mission to help at-risk children and their families, and a belief that all children are capable of learning, recovering, and contributing. The company chose the name "Serendipity" for its meaning of the unexpected discovery of something good. And with this in mind, the company sought to provide the struc... ture and individualized instruction that would allow young people who were failing within the traditional public school system to develop their scholastic skills, social competence, and personal confidence. After the company's first year, the company discovered that the majority of students referred to the company were struggling with a range of disabilities and needed more than just an alternative academic setting. As a result, the company began to develop the therapeutic educational model that's still in place today. The company developed the instructional and behavioral support systems that allowed the company to be approved by the Oregon Department of Education as a school for students with handicapping conditions. By 1981, Serendipity was accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools as a Special Purpose school. In 1989, Serendipity was certified as a provider of children's mental health services, thus formalizing the integrated model that had been evolving. While the company began with just three high school students and five staff, Serendipity has grown to serve 22 school districts in the counties surrounding the company's campus. Serendipity remains the oldest therapeutic school in the Portland metropolitan area, and is the only program that is both an accredited private alternative school and a certified children's mental health provider. To this day, the company continue to adapt the company's models and programs to meet the evolving needs of the community the company serves, while staying true to the company's original mission: to provide a safe learning environment in which the emotional, behavioral, and academic needs of students are met ...Read More