Don Guanella School

Residential Don Guanella School is a residential facility operating twenty four hours a day every day of the year. Don Guanella School supports young men and boys who reside in two cottages located on the main campus. Residential services provide the programs and activities necessary to support the growth and development of every boy while maintaining the highest possible quality of life. Every boy is given the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities and programs both on campus as well as in the surrounding communities. A host of professional services is also available to all of the boys - medical, dental, psychological, therapeutic, and spiritual. Recreational activities include basketball, bowling, swimming, little league baseball, roller hockey, volleyball, boy scouts, track and field, etc. Don Guanella School is a very big participant in Special Olympics. Trips to theme parks, museums, and cultural events as well as dance socials; trips to sporting events and concerts are also a big part of the program.

Lemuel and Vaughn taking a dip.

Day Program Services

Education is the focus of the day program at Don Guanella School. All of the boys attend classes either at the Don Guanella location or at various school locations throughout the surrounding community. The educational portion of the program is run by the Delaware County Intermediate Unit and a variety of special programs are conducted in order to meet the individualized needs of every boy in our care. Some of our boys also attend vocational / technical training classes while others attend an inclusion program located at the Marple Newtown Senior High School.

Community Services

Community service is an important part of the overall program at Don Guanella School. When boys reach the required age and qualify for the available positions they go to various sites throughout the surrounding communities and work on a volunteer basis until such time as they are ready to move into a supportive employment position. During the summer, as part of the overall summer program at Don Guanella, more than a dozen of our boys participated in the summer youth employment training program conducted by the Delaware County Office of Employment and Training during which time the boys worked at various sites as employees of the county and paid by the county.