About St. Coletta of Greater Washington

Mission  Statement

The mission of St. Coletta of Greater Washington is to serve children and adults with cognitive disabilities and to support their families. At St. Coletta we believe in the immeasurable value of the individual human spirit and the right of each individual to live as full and independent a life as possible. We respect the dignity of all persons entrusted to our care and our goal is to serve them in an atmosphere that encourages their talents, celebrates their successes and builds their self-esteem.

Philosophy

We believe in the inherent worth of the individual regardless of their rate of development and capacity for learning. Every person has the right to the training and support necessary for them to reach their full potential.

Our experience has confirmed that the real focus of education needs to be on the individual learner and the skills they need to be successful in life. We believe that individuals learn best by doing. To that end, we plan hands-on, theme-based activities that allow for experimentation and trial and error. Instruction occurs as often as possible in the natural setting, thus adult consumers and students spend a lot of time in the community.

History

St. Coletta of Greater Washington is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization that operates school and adult day programs for children and adults with cognitive disabilities and autism.

St. Coletta was founded in 1959 by parents of a child with Down Syndrome. The school began in the basement of St. Charles Borromeo School in Arlington with five students. Over the intervening years it moved to several different locations in Arlington and in 1996 school leaders made the decision to purchase a permanent facility in Alexandria that would allow for growth. The larger facility allowed the school to begin an adult day program as well as to expand the student population.  In September 2006, a new state of the art school building in Washington, DC was completed.

Today, St. Coletta of Greater Washington serves over 300 children and adults from Washington, Maryland and Virginia in a school program and two adult day programs.