The Golden Key Admissions Process
The Golden Key enrollment consideration process is a step-by-step approach that prevents families from being overwhelmed. The Golden Key understands that all students may or may not thrive in our program so a comprehensive approach to reviewing potential students occurs. We believe all children deserve the very best education and intervention, our school may not be right for every child, even if they meet the minimum requirements for scholarship eligibility category and age.
STEP 1 – Obtain Required Educational Documents*
Ensure your child has:
- A current Ohio Evaluation Team Report (ETR)
- An active Ohio Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Both must be completed through your school district of residence.
*Medical documents are not part of the enrollment consideration process.
Age of Student:
The Golden Key provides educational services for preschool – ages 3-5 and school age for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and/or age of 14.
Eligibility Status
Your child’s ETR (Section 4: Eligibility) must show a qualifying category that is accepted by The Golden Key for the Ohio Jon Peterson or Autism Scholarship programs.
The Golden Key does not accept all categories of the Jon Peterson Scholarship.
DO NOT HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL ELIGIBILITY:
If you do not have an educational eligibility from your school district of residence, please follow this link on the steps to request an evaluation.
Submission Process and Next Steps
If you have the required educational documents, eligibility and age appropriate, please see below for the next steps in The Golden Key’s enrollment consideration process.
STEP 2 – Submit Documentation and Consideration List
- Complete the form to the left and submit documents.
- Provide the most recent ETR and IEP to Golden Key.
- These documents are required for placement on our Consideration List.
Placement on Consideration List
Once documents are received and reviewed, your child will be added to our Consideration List if eligibility criteria are met.
Please allow time for response on receipt. The applications for consideration are reviewed often times as openings become available.
Maintain Active Status
To remain on the Consideration List, families must:
- Keep ETR and IEP documents current
- Submit updates when evaluations expire
- Stay in communication with our team
- Once appropriate documents are submitted and received The Golden Key will enter the student’s information onto the Consideration List.
STEP 3 – Program Review for Openings
When an opening becomes available, our team reviews active ETRs and IEPs. Students are considered based on:
- Skill level and academic needs
- Social-emotional development
- Behavioral profile
- Overall program fit
Family Contact & Assessment Tour
If your child is identified as a potential match, you will be contacted to schedule an on-site student assessment and parent/guardian tour.
Final Determination of Consideration
Following the assessment, our team determines if placement is appropriate based on the student’s needs and our program’s ability to support them.
Interested in enrolling your child?
Please complete the information fully to be placed on The Golden Key’s consideration list.
ETR & IEP must be submitted with this form.
Please do not send medical diagnosis. That is not part of our consideration process.
*Applications are not reviewed in chronological order of receipt. All students are reviewed and based on openings that could meet the students IEP goals determines contact for Step 3. All Students are placed within gradebands based on academics, social-emotional and behavior needs.
While we strive to serve as many students as possible at no cost to families, we are not equipped to provide the level of one-on-one behavioral support some students may require.
STEP 4 – Notification of Acceptance or Not Accepted:
All families are notified if they are accepted or not.
If a family and the administration finds that a placement for the student at the Golden Key would work, the guardians are provided the State of Ohio’s scholarship applications (which application that meets the ETR eligibility). The application is completed by the guardian and returned to The Golden Key. Along with the application for the scholarship a proof of residence and the birth certificate must be submitted at this time.
Acceptance:
- Families will be notified by email of acceptance.
- If accept, scholarship application and enrollment forms will follow.
Reasons a Student May Not Be Accepted
The Golden Key specializes in serving students primarily on the autism spectrum. Our program design, teaching methods, and staffing model require maintaining appropriate student-to-staff ratios. While we carefully consider each applicant, the following factors may result in a denial of enrollment:
Support Needs Beyond Program Scope
To provide services at no cost to families, we are not equipped to offer one-on-one behavioral support.
Behavioral Needs
Students demonstrating aggressive behaviors not primarily related to communication-based needs may not be appropriate for our program.
Age Requirements
The student is younger than 3 or 14 years of age or older.
Program Capacity
Enrollment would exceed our ability to maintain appropriate staffing ratios and program quality standards.
Enrollment packet and start date
After the scholarship application is awarded by the state a Golden Key the Enrollment Packet is then provided to the families. Once all enrollment papers are returned to the school a start date is provided. A student cannot start until all documents are returned and the scholarship has been awarded by the state.
Please contact The Golden Key at 330-493-4400 to learn more about this admissions process. We will be happy to walk you through it and answer your questions.
The Golden Key offers three programs:
Small Warriors Preschool Intervention Program
This is a 12-month, 4-day- Monday though Thursday program for students 3-5 years of age who have received an eligibility of autism from their school district of residence. This is a leveled program designed to support early intervention and meet the Three Child Outcomes – Postive Social-Emotional Skills, Acquistion of Use of Knowledge & Skills, and Appropriate Behaviors to Meet Needs. This program is grounded in the traditions of ABA with the further generatlization development through the concept of RDI, where the teachers and therapist are guides to the students.
Students with the eligiblity of autism (not medical diagnosis) who have been accepted by The Golden Key are able to apply for the State Funded Autism Scholarship.
For details on how to receive an eligibility please contact us and we will be happy to guide you through the process.
Non-Public Specialized Charter School
This is an accredited DEW specialized school based program that offers education for students kindergarten age through grade 8 or age of 14. This program is an individualized educational program that encourages student success by offering one-on-one tutoring as well as all therapies outlined in the IEP. Ratio for our school-aged classes are at most 12 students to one professionally licensed teachers and a specifically trained assistant paraprofessional support staff. Additionally, every student is assigned to an Intervention Specialist as well as Speech & Language, Occupational and Physical Therapists as determined by the student’s needs.
No out of pocket expenses for educational needs
The Golden Key Center for Exceptional Children is a non-profit organization who understands a families journey can be quite overwhelming. The Golden Key provides all of the student’s educational needs outlined in the IEP and/or state approved modifications to be covered under the accepted scholarships – Autism & Jon Peterson.
The Golden Key Board of Directors stands by the co-founders philosophy that no family should have to worry about basic educational needs to fulfill their quality of life. No family pays out of pocket expenses for educational needs – intervention or therapies. The Golden Key absorbs well over $1.5M each year to ensure every student has the quality intervention and education the student needs to meet their greatest abilities.