Special Education - V.I.N.E

Valley’s Individual Needs Enhancement (V.I.N.E.)

At Valley Christian Schools, we believe that all people are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and that all believers are indispensable to the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:21-27). The mission of Valley Christian Schools is to equip students to be culture changers for Christ by delivering academic excellence, facilitating spiritual growth, and building lifelong community. It is our desire, and we believe God’s will, to reach out and serve all the children that we are able, including those who have learning challenges. Therefore, beginning in August of 2006, Valley Christian High School began offering special education classes and accommodations for students with learning disabilities and other learning challenges.

We offer a program called V.I.N.E. – Valley’s Individual Needs Enhancement. In V.I.N.E. students are taught with content and methods that enhance, strengthen, and improve their individual needs so they can be successful in their classes, which in turn will help them to grow to their full God-given potential. However, we recognize that we are not able to service every child with special needs due to limitations on our finances, expertise, size, facilities, etc.

Admission to the V.I.N.E. program will be based on the extent to which our resources can help your child succeed. Your communication to us about your child’s needs and submission of records and testing information will help us determine our ability to accommodate his/her challenges. In an effort to make the most informed decision regarding our ability to serve a student, testing may be required prior to admission into the V.I.N.E. program. In general, significant struggles of a behavioral nature are more difficult for our program to accommodate. In addition, non-academic services and therapies (such as speech and occupational therapy) are not provided by Valley Christian Schools and must be arranged by the parent with another organization.

As a private school, Valley does not receive government funding for special needs programs. Therefore, we are not legally bound to follow existing educational plans; however, the goals and recommendations contained in IEPs and other education plans will be considered in the development of an Individual Learning Plan as part of the V.I.N.E. program.

In our desire to do all things to the glory of God, the V.I.N.E. staff will seek to do everything possible to provide the best education for your child that we are able.

We look forward to what God has in store for us now as we endeavor to meet the needs of even more families. We would count it a privilege to partner with you in providing a Christian education for your child if the Lord leads you in our direction. May the Lord guide you in your decision-making regarding this important part of your child’s life.

Empowerment Scholarship Accounts

Students with disabilities may be able to receive private school scholarship funds through an empowerment scholarship account (ESA) through the State of Arizona. If your child is an Arizona resident, AND is identified as having a disability, AND 1) attended a public school full-time for the first 100 days during the prior school year 2) OR received a scholarship from a Student Tuition Organization, s/he may be eligible for funds.

Some of God’s best stories start with a child. He used a poor boy with five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed more than 5,000 (John 6). He called David as a teenager to fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17). And Jesus once told His disciples, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10). The VINE program at Valley Christian graduated its 100th student at the 2019 Commencement and remembers that it was a boy who was the first to believe.

The Origin of the VINE program

If you’d like to give a financial gift to the VINE program, or to the Bridges club, please use the form below.

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If you do not see a giving form above, you may visit valleychristianaz.org/give/now to make a gift today (enter “VINE” in the “Additional Comments” box). If you have any questions about your transaction, please contact Kittren Dibley at [email protected].

The Bridges club was started in 2012 by then-senior Nicole Morgan and VINE Instructional Aid Mrs. Robin Johnson, and is similar to the nationally known BEST BUDDIES program popular at many public schools. Bridges, however, has a Christ-centered theme to love God and love others.