Teacher and Staff Increases Accommodate Student Body Expansion

The New England Center for Children^® (NECC^®), a global leader in autism education and research, announced record growth in student enrollment for the 2024-25 school year. NECC welcomed 52 students, including 29 in the day school and 23 in the residential program, marking it the largest single-year increase in the school’s history.

This milestone was made possible by strategic growth in staffing, with NECC increasing its Southborough workforce by 11% to a total of 923. These positions included teachers, board certified behavior analysts, specialists, clinicians, and support staff. With world-class professional development (including free graduate school), attracting motivated teachers has proven effective.

Serving children aged 3-22 with autism spectrum disorder is a resource-intensive effort requiring 1:1 staff working collaboratively with speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, clinicians, and others. Each student’s individualized education program encompasses academic learning; social and behavioral skills; fitness and recreational activity; vocational training and adaptive life skills; and residential support and care.

“I was overjoyed when my twins were accepted into NECC’s residential program,” said Amy Latham. “Their significant challenges prevented them from succeeding in a traditional classroom setting. NECC was able to provide the behavioral, clinical, and educational resources they needed. Now they are thriving and learning. It has been a transformative experience for our whole family.”

Fifty years ago, NECC was founded by Vinnie Strully to meet a grave need of serving individuals with behavior disorders. For the first time, children with autism, previously lost in psychiatric hospitals, were treated using applied behavior analysis and taught to live more independent lives.

Over five decades, NECC has continued to grow and evolve to fill service gaps for this population. NECC’s programs comprise early intervention services; preschool, day school, and residential programs; consulting and public-school programs; adult services; and clinics overseas. NECC developed a patented software platform – the ACE® ABA Software System - to share its digitized curriculum with special educators outside the organization and around the world.

Now, as the prevalence of autism rises along with those in need of quality services, NECC is once again working to bridge the gap with its increased enrollment.

“Our goal has always been to serve as many students as possible without sacrificing quality of our programs,” said Kyla McHaffie, MS, BCBA, LABA, director of Enrollment and Family Support. “Our growth reflects both the trust families place in our mission and the dedication of our incredible team. Being able to admit a high number of new students means they are no longer waiting for services.”

ABOUT NECC

NECC is based in Southborough, Massachusetts USA and operates the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Special Education in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as well as Clinics in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. Learn more at www.necc.org.

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“Our goal has always been to serve as many students as possible without sacrificing quality of our programs. Being able to admit a high number of new students means they are no longer waiting for services."