Cornerstone Day School

My Child has now been in Cornerstone for a little over three years. In the beginning, she was hard to deal with, and was sent to the hospital a few times, refused to go to school often. It got to the point there was talk of residential placement. Fortunately, that did not happen. They have a variety of students in different levels emotionally and academically. Having been around the school for a few years we have seen some go the more restrictive placements but have seen more students progress to the point of returning to their home school, and some graduating from Cornerstone going off to college. I do see them differentiate learning. But it is firstly a therapy school with academics in it. Things like bullying do come up here as in public school, but I have found them effective in handling things. There were times when I didn’t agree with what was suggested by therapists, the psychologist or the administration, but always tried the suggestions. Usually, they were right. Cornerstone Day School works as a team with you and your child as a team. It requires all to take part for success. My daughter’s progress has been great. There is now talk of her splitting days between Cornerstone and our County Vocational School next year. I am very thankful for Cornerstone and they are most definitely the right placement for my child.

My son had 4 years of behavioral issues (in district) where he would be sent to principal's office for hours, leave school unauthorized (frustrated), misbehave and tell me he didn't belong. His medical conditions were negatively impacting academics and we needed more services than the district was able to provide. After losing all faith, I turned to CDS. My son has been at CDS for 2.5 years now (8-10 grade). I am extremely grateful that I was able to send my son to the school that supports him, provides him with appropriate structure, flexibility, professionalism, discipline which is allowing him to thrive and now become considered a "leader". The school requires family involvement which is necessary to support the student in the home environment as well as school. Our home life is no longer volatile we have many more enjoyable days. My son now tells me "all my teachers really care about us and they want to be there to help us". I would highly recommend CDS for the child who is struggling and needs a supportive private school. When I first visited CDS, one of the students told me "this school saved my life". That was the very reason I sent my son and I too believe this school has made such a positive impact on my child and saved him from going down a very bad path.

This school has literally changed our lives! My daughter suffered for a number of years in district. While everyone in Nutley did their absolute best to provide her with what she needed, it just was not possible. She is very smart but could not manage the social setting and needed consistent clinical care and guidance to navigate her days. When our district recommended a therapeutic school, I will admit I was unsure and very nervous. It was a half hour from our home, I would have to trust someone to take her and bring her home, I had to make a commitment to be there once a week to participate in family sessions, and it was an environment I didn’t understand. However, I felt strongly about my daughter being educated. Most therapeutic schools do not offer the level of academics Cornerstone offers. So we dug our heels in and let it happen. Two years later, and this was so much more than we could have ever hoped for. We have built a team between us and the school. I can trust no matter how I send her off to school in the morning, she will be met by a group of capable clinicians and teachers along with administrative staff. We work together to come up with solutions that enable my daughter to grow and learn at the same time. She is now in honors classes and working hard to continue growing. Furthermore, because of the way Cornerstone engages the entire family, the dynamic in our home has improved immeasurably! We still have set backs and difficult days. However, my husband and I feel so completely supported by the staff at Cornerstone, we know no matter what a day holds, they will help us through it and we will all be better off for it.