Chelsea School was established in 1976 by Betty Nehemias and Eleanor Worthy, two parents from Washington, DC with children with dyslexia. With only six students in a church basement, Chelsea School was established with a philosophy predicated on serving children with learning disabilities whom the public schools had failed to provide an appropriate and meaningful education. From its beginnings in the church basement, the school later took up residence in the Jessup Blair Mansion in Silver Spring and from there the former Academy of the Holy Names, where the school is located today.

From the very beginning, the focus was on providing a skill-based curriculum to students organized in small homogenous groups based on reading level. The teaching methods that were established were individualized and multi-sensory and included intensive reading intervention based on the most current research and findings. As the school’s reputation grew in the 70’s and 80’s, families throughout the Washington, DC area began to look to Chelsea School to help their children struggling with learning disabilities.

The year 1989 was a watershed for Chelsea School. In that year, the school made a major evolutionary shift in its focus by admitting publicly-funded students from Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland. Chelsea School had always been dedicated to those students who were not adequately served; however, now admittance to the program could be extended to students who would not have had the economic means otherwise. This came about through a change in federal legislation. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1979 (IDEA) was enacted to ensure equal access to public education by all students irrespective of disability. As many school districts were unable to meet the needs of students with specific learning disabilities, they were forced to provide funding to schools like Chelsea School that could provide access to the curriculum through disability-specific individualized methods.  This legislation opened the doors of Chelsea School to many children. It ensured that students from various economic and social backgrounds would be afforded access to a superior education irrespective of economic means.

The benefits to the school, students, and community since 1989 have been profound. Chelsea School’s program model of educating children with learning disabilities was expanded to include children who would not have had the economic means to attend a school that met their individual needs. Chelsea School has continued this vision to this day. Currently, over 85% of our students are funded by their public school jurisdictions.

The Chelsea School commitment to providing a superior education to children with learning disabilities continues today. Our world-class staff of educators is working on the cutting edge of special education research and methodology. The commitment to small classes, individualized multi-sensory instruction, explicit direction and assessment, and intensive reading intervention based on current research is as strong as it was 35 years ago. The Chelsea Reading Department has pioneered and created a reading program anchored on four principles– Profile, Plan, Program, and Performance. This plan is designed to meet the individual needs of all our students and begins on their first day of enrollment. It is the program model of Chelsea School to take every child beyond functional literacy, and into a world where literacy is used to enhance one’s own life and the lives of others.