The Monarch Model emphasizes the use of assessments to guide instruction. Each student’s visual language, communication, academic, sensory, behavior, and other developmental domains are assessed by a team of Monarch professionals including Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Intervention Specialists, Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), and Psychiatrists. To ensure IEP and SP goals and objectives are appropriate and socially significant, it is critical to assess a student’s current level of functioning in all areas.

The Monarch Model maximizes the learning opportunity that visuals can provide by applying visual supports within a structured language system rather than using them as isolated icons. Each individual’s level of visual representation is assessed, so customized visual supports (e.g., photographs, line drawings, clipart, written words) can be created that are meaningful and effective, around three primary constructs:

• Visual Instruction (adapting instruction so it is presented visually)
• Visual Expression (using visuals to facilitate expressive communication)
• Visual Organization (using visuals to organize activities and daily schedules)

Educational software, video modeling, mobile devices, and web-based tools, including VizZle™, are used liberally to support each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP)/Service Plan (SP). In addition, many individuals at Monarch use Speech Generating Devices, as well as Apple iPads, computers and SmartBoards, which facilitate interactive instruction and expressive and receptive communication. Technology is an integral and essential way to reinforce concepts by taking advantage of the attraction it holds for individuals on the autism spectrum. Technology-based instruction has been proven to promote motivation, attention, reinforcement, instruction, expression, and organization among individuals with autism.

The Monarch Model embraces a natural language curriculum that serves as an extension and elaboration of state curricular standards. We recognize that the individual’s available language system, including vocabulary and concepts, can dictate the extent to which they can successfully participate in learning. By maximizing access to language and providing continuous "teachable moments" in a natural environment, the potential for richer and more meaningful expression and understanding is made possible. Students are taught seven communicative functions, which include:

1. Protesting and Refusal
2. Organization and Transitions
3. Requests
4. Directives
5. Comments
6. Questions
7. Social Pragmatics

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles and strategies are embedded throughout Monarch’s Visual Language Immersion Treatment Model, thereby maximizing its effectiveness.
• School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a prevention model. It is based on the premise that all students can benefit from well implemented, evidence-based practices for improving student behavior. School-wide PBIS provides informed decision making based upon an analysis of data that guides the process of assessing students’ needs and providing additional levels of behavioral support to those who benefit from it. In accordance with the Ohio Department of Education’s Policy on Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support, PBIS utilized at Monarch School encompasses a wide range of positive strategies to reinforce desired behaviors, decrease the recurrence of challenging behaviors, and teach appropriate alternative behaviors to students.
• The goal of PBIS is to provide support at different levels of intensity based on what the student needs at the school wide (Tier 1), targeted (Tier 2), and individual (Tier 3) level of support. The PBIS prevention-oriented framework applies to all students, all staff, and all settings. School staff complete annual training to identify conditions such as where, under what conditions, with whom, and why specific inappropriate behavior may occur. School staff also complete annual training on the supports that correspond with each tier of the PBIS model. 

Monarch School recognizes that to ensure students are ready to learn, we must provide them with appropriate, personalized, and proactive supports to promote a state of regulation (e.g., an individual’s ability to manage his or her internal emotional and physical state to stay calm and engaged). All components work together to facilitate student engagement and participation in their daily routines, including academic, self-help, social, and vocational expectations.

• Sensory input is a foundational component of how we interact with the world and our bodies; students may demonstrate unique patterns in which they require more or less of different types of sensory input to understand, process, and respond, as well as promote a state of regulation. All sensory systems (i.e., auditory/sound, tactile/touch, visual/sight, olfactory/smell, gustatory/taste, proprioceptive/body awareness, vestibular/balance & coordination, and interoceptive/internal sensations) are considered and addressed proactively on an individualized basis.
• Co-Regulation is a key aspect of regulation (including future self-regulation) that dictates how adults model and provide support to students during both times of calm and times of distress. Specifically, it is the attuned and responsive interactions between a child and adult that allows them to reach a state of regulation together. This requires building meaningful, trusting relationships with students that positively influence the growth, development, and integration of their brains.
• Teaching and modeling effective and individualized coping strategies during times of calm are integral to supporting a student’s ability to access and engage in co-/self-regulation when needed. This includes targeted instruction in mindfulness and “noticing in” to further develop students' awareness of their body signals and what those signals mean to promote independence with knowing when/what coping strategy is needed for a given situation.
• The final key component to promoting regulation is the use of a Strengths-Based practice approach, which encompasses integrating student interests into lessons, fostering their sense of self-worth and successes by providing the “just-right” challenge, facilitating autonomy, competence, and relatedness in student/adult interactions, and ensuring foundational needs are met (e.g., physiological - food/water/warmth/rest; safety - security/safety) prior to placing external demands. This concept asks adults to strike a balance between expecting students to learn new skills (to regulate) and asking the change to come from elsewhere (e.g., adult, environment, routine, etc.).

As individuals on the autism spectrum become more competent in their understanding and use of language, they are better able to manage the demands of a comprehensive educational curriculum. To support this, the Monarch Model selected key language concepts in the content area curriculum and made them a critical, foundational component of instruction. As a result, math, social studies, science, language arts, and reading instruction are more comprehensible and manageable, which enables students to more effectively meet their learning potential.

Individual and program progress are continually assessed and reported with a unique data collection system. The data is analyzed and used to adapt teaching strategies, individualized treatment plans, and crisis management plans, and to generate narrative reports and statistics that reflect the individual’s progress on IEP and SP goals and objectives. This progress is shared with families through case management updates, quarterly progress reports, and annual IEP meetings.

Monarch School aims to serve as a nationally recognized leader in educational service provision for school aged autistic youth through the use of evidence-based practice from assessment to treatment using an interdisciplinary approach. Monarch School does not use, endorse or provide Facilitated Communication, Rapid Prompting Method, Spelling to Communicate or other facilitated variants as valid forms of communication. This decision is supported through the guidance of major professional organizations, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Psychological Associations (APA), and the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC).

Does my child need an autism diagnosis to attend Monarch Day School?

• Yes, a diagnosis is required, however, we will accept students with a provisional diagnosis. In addition, we also accept students with other co-occurring diagnoses.

What is the cost to attend Monarch School?

• The tuition for the 2026-2027 school year is $98,000. Monarch’s Extended School Year (ESY) program is an additional $8,170. This includes administering and evaluating assessments, developing a new Monarch School IEP/SP, delivering all of the services documented in the new IEP/SP (e.g., Academics, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Behavior Support), and providing Art Therapy and Music Therapy.

Are there scholarships available?

• The Autism Scholarship Program (ASP) gives the family of a child with autism who qualifies for the scholarship the choice to send their child to a special education program other than the one operated by the school district of residence to receive the services outlined in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). 
• Students must have an IEP from their resident district, be aged 5–21 and have an autism diagnosis to qualify for the Autism Scholarship. The maximum scholarship amount is $34,000, and the child must be enrolled in the scholarship program for the entire school year to receive the full scholarship amount. Families are responsible for paying costs out-of-pocket that exceed the scholarship amount, and they are responsible for paying costs of services not identified in the Individualized Education Program (IEP).
• The Autism Scholarship only covers school services provided between August and June, which means Monarch’s Extended School Year (ESY) program is not covered by the Autism Scholarship and would be an additional cost for families of students who are deemed eligible.
• By accepting the scholarship, parents agree that the resident school district is no longer responsible for providing a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE); this responsibility shifts to the chosen provider. 
• For more information, please visit the Ohio Department of Education’s website: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-Resources/Scholarships/Autism-Scholarship
• Monarch School does not accept the Jon Peterson Scholarship

How is a student placed at Monarch School by their local school district?

• If a district and parent agree the district cannot meet the needs of the student, the district may recommend placement at Monarch Day School, thereby agreeing to cover the entire cost of tuition if Monarch is deemed an appropriate fit for the student.

How do I ask my school district to send my child to Monarch Day School?

• You will have to discuss out-of-district placement with your child’s IEP team. Please contact the Special Education Director from your home school district to initiate the conversation and request an IEP meeting for your child.

Do you accept insurance? My insurance covers Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

We are not permitted to bill insurance for Monarch Day School or any related service (e.g., Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Behavior Support, etc.) provided during the school day because we are a chartered, non-public school, and our program is tuition-based.

Do you have rolling enrollment?

• Yes, we do.

What is your Referral / Intake process?

1. Please contact Vicki Koller (216-320-6417 or kollerv@bellefairejcb.org) to have an initial conversation about placement and funding.
2. Once funding is confirmed, please send Vicki documentation for review including your child’s IEP/SP, ETR, and other supporting documents.
3. Vicki will work with the Monarch School team to review documentation, and if deemed appropriate, she will schedule an in-person tour for the parents, student, and school district (if desired).
4. Following the tour, Vicki will follow-up to request additional information (if necessary), answer questions, and/or offer an acceptance if deemed appropriate, with a proposed start date.

Do you have typical peers?

• No, we do not have typical peers at Monarch Day School, however, we do make efforts to create social opportunities with like peers in the same or other classrooms if appropriate.

Do you provide transportation to and from school?

• No, however, if a school district places your child at Monarch, you will work directly with them on transportation services.

Do you have to live in Cleveland to attend Monarch Day School?

• No, we serve students from all over northeast Ohio.

Do you have before and/or after-school care? Are the drop-off and pick-up times flexible?

• We do not provide before and after-school care, and drop-off and pick-up times are not flexible. Students must be dropped off at 8:25am and picked up at 2:40pm.

Do you provide breakfast or lunch?

• No, parents are responsible for providing breakfast (if not consumed at home), lunch, and snacks for their children to eat throughout the school day.

Is there a nurse on staff who will dispense medication (if applicable)?

• For students who received prescribed and over-the-counter medications (with corresponding documentation), Monarch Center for Autism Nurses will dispense and monitor all medication during the school day.
• Medication must be transported to school in a secure medication bag (provided by Monarch School) following a strict medication authorization policy.

What are the staffing ratios that will be provided to my child?

• IEP/SP goals and objectives are taught in one-on-one and small group sessions.

Are there de-escalation rooms at Monarch School in which my child can take breaks for safety?

• We have several Quiet Rooms at Monarch School that are padded and can be used for de-escalation purposes. In addition, we have Sensory Rooms in which students can relax with calming sounds and sights. We also have indoor Gross Motor Rooms (gyms) and outdoor playgrounds for movement and regulation.

Do staff send escalation/incident reports or call when an event occurs?

• In the event of an incident (including but not limited to physical management), an incident report will be shared with the guardians/caregivers within 24 hours via email or phone (based on their preferred method).
• Please note, all Monarch Center for Autism staff are trained in Safety-Care® and follow reporting guidelines based on licensing requirements. Developed by Quality Behavioral Solutions (QBS), Safety-Care® is more than crisis management training; it provides the skills and competencies necessary to effectively prevent, minimize, and manage behavioral challenges with dignity, safety, and the possibility of change. Safety-Care® delivers the tools needed to be safe when working with behaviorally challenging individuals using up-to-date and effective technologies from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS). Safety-Care® promotes a reinforcement-based approach to developing new skills, maintaining safety, and reducing restrictive interventions such as restraint.

Does Monarch School have a Restraint Policy?

• Monarch School is committed to using the least restrictive interventions when working with students. The crisis prevention model we use, Safety-Care®, is designed to be least to most restrictive and emphasizes the use of the most positive and least coercive approach that is likely to be safe and effective. Staff are taught to attend to triggers and signals of students in the environment. When signal behavior from a student is observed, staff are instructed to implement de-escalation strategies such as helping the student to communicate needs and wants, prompting an alternative, safer behavior, or waiting by monitoring the situation and giving the student time. When pertinent, the staff are instructed to implement the student’s De-escalation Plan. Only when these less restrictive interventions fail to prevent harm to the student and/or others, may the use of restraint occur. The type of restraint approved for use at Monarch School is physical holds by staff. The use of restraint may only be used in emergency situations. Monarch School prohibits preauthorizing restraint and/or seclusion. The use of restraint and/or seclusion is not permitted for any other purpose, such as coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.
• If a parent or guardian has a concern related to a restraint, he or she may communicate this in writing by contacting Monarch School at 216-320-8945 or Bellefaire JCB’s Client Advocate, Juliet Stephens LSW, at 216-320-8216.

• Please click here to read Monarch School’s Restraint Policy

• Please click here to read Monarch School’s Time Out and Isolated Time Out Policy

Does Monarch School have an Anti-Harassment, Anti-Intimidation, or Anti-Bullying Policy?

• It is Monarch School’s policy to provide an educational environment free from harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Monarch School is committed to protecting its students from any form of physical, verbal, or mental abuse.

Please click here to read Monarch School’s Anti-Harassment, Anti-Intimidation, or Anti-Bullying Policy