Desert Choice Schools

Desert Choice Schools (DCS) is pleased to partner with Buckeye Union High School District at The Learning Center to provide effective educational services to students and parents in the Buckeye community. DCS is owned by School Psychologists and operated by Special Education Professionals with over 50 years of combined experience working with students with severe Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

DCS is a fully accredited K -12 Private Day School approved by the Arizona Department of Education to provide Special Education Services for the following disability categories: Autism (A), Emotional Disability (ED), Mild Mental Retardation (MIMR), Moderate Mental Retardation (MOMR), Other Health Impaired (OHI), Specific Learning Disability (SLD), and Speech-Language Impairment (SLI). Our mission is to enhance the lives of students not only at school but also in their home and community environments. The DCS program strives to foster a lifelong love of learning, responsible decision-making, and the development of caring, contributing members of a multi-cultural society.

The DCS program uses a highly-structured, school-wide Positive Behavioral Supports program that teaches students Academic and Behavioral Problem-Solving Strategies. All DCS teachers and support personnel are trained in a unique methodology that assists students with maintaining Positive Choice-Making. DCS also uses a highly structured classroom management system along with scientifically-based instructional programs. Our classroom program is designed to teach personal responsibility and social skills, while maintaining a strong academic focus. The Arizona State Standards are the foundation for all DCS instructional planning. Instructional resources are researched based, highly motivational, and aligned with grade level outcomes and objectives.

DCS teachers use a variety of instructional methods and strategies in order to meet the individual student needs. Direct instruction, small group, and experiential learning are a few examples of instructional models implemented by DCS staff. In addition, DCS uses a specialized academic curriculum and programs to meet the academic needs of the students as indicated on their Individual Education Program (IEP). All remedial programming is based on individual student need. DCS employs staff and related services providers that work closely with our Special Education Teachers, Behavior Technicians, and Instructional Aides to develop appropriate Behavior Management, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Positive Behavior Support systems. Furthermore, the Clinical Services Department coordinates, supervises, and conducts, parent support groups, social-skills training, clinical case reviews, clinical training (Crisis Prevention Institute, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention), and therapeutic Counseling.

We are extremely pleased to be partnering with the Buckeye Unified School District and look forward to joining Buckeye in continuing to build positive and productive members of our community.