Valley Forge Educational Services

Partnerships

VFES and West Chester University’s Department of Special Education have enjoyed a productive collaboration creating many professional development opportunities for education students and practitioners in special education with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding about children with special needs. In November 2009, a jointly hosted conference on “Accommodating Students with Disabilities from High School to the University” was well received and led to a series of three workshops.

HOPE for Kids

In 2010, VFES and HOPE for Kids formed the Swamp Creek Environmental Collaborative to create environmental-and vocational-education programming for at-risk youth. The Swamp Creek Environmental Collaborative is based at Camp HOPE for Kids, a property located on 90 wooded acres in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, 40 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The site features a river-fed lake and abundant wildlife. The Collaborative aims to cultivate a community of environmental stewards by engaging young people in meaningful experiential learning in nature.

VFES and HOPE for Kids are also developing a year-round vocational training program to provide job-skills training to students of The Vanguard School and youth in HOPE for Kids’ Saturday Academy. Vanguard students are gaining real-world work experience by landscaping and preparing the HOPE for Kids camp property for summer.

VFES and HOPE for Kids share a mission of supporting at-risk young people, whether they are economically disadvantaged or facing academic and social challenges. This inclusive approach to experiential education offers students and campers opportunities to learn from each other in a beautiful, natural setting.

Valley Forge Educational Services is very grateful for our partners!