Carpe Diem Academy - Tacoma

Annie Wright Schools spans preschool through grade 12 on its Tacoma campus. In Lower School, tiered Learning Support addresses learning differences and language challenges, then tracks student progress to guide interventions. Middle and Upper School students also have learning support, counseling and health services. Preschool through grade 8 students may join extended-day programs before or after classes.

At Emerald Learning Center in Tacoma, we provide individualized special education and intensive behavioral support for students with complex educational and behavioral needs. Our team uses trauma-informed practices centered on dignity, safety, autonomy, and self-advocacy. Students receive one-to-one support in a safe learning environment. Emerald Learning Center is a certified Non-Public Agency and special education school with locations in Tacoma, Redmond, and Seattle.

Our Tacoma day school serves students from kindergarten through age 22 whose needs require more support than their district setting can currently provide. Lilac Learning Center runs the same school program at its Tacoma, Spokane and Longview sites. Applied behavior analysis forms the basis of our teaching, with instruction designed around each student's current skills. Every student receives at least one-to-one support. A certificated special education teacher and a behavior analyst work across roughly fifteen students, and the placement includes speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and educational psychology evaluation. We measure what students do during instruction and use that information to change a program when it is not working. Lessons address skills students can use at home, in the community and in their next educational setting. Placement starts with the sending school district. We assess students only when the district requests consideration and contracts for a placement. The process includes a virtual meeting with the sending team, one or two observations in the student's current setting, and a site visit with the student, family and a district representative. We return a placement determination to the district. If we offer a place, the district shares that decision with the family, the enrollment packet is completed and the contract is finalized before the student's first day. The IEP team makes the placement decision. Our plans address independence and the least restrictive setting that meets a student's needs. Some students spend a year or two at Lilac before a structured return to their district school; others stay for a longer part of their education and receive support with the transition to adult services. The timeline depends on the student. School districts fund our program rather than insurance plans. We also offer district consultation, contracted in five- or ten-hour monthly blocks, for teams supporting students in their own schools. Consultation focuses on building the staff's ability to teach and support a student in that setting. Families can learn about the day school while their district and IEP team consider placement.