Programming Areas

The heart of all we do.

One Classroom’s four flagship programming areas – School Grants, Professional Development, Parents & Families, and Community Engagement – work in concert to ensure students of all abilities find a place of belonging and communion within Catholic schools. Our four programming areas provide a holistic and multi-tiered approach that ensures success at all levels of a parish and school community.

School Grants

One Classroom’s school grants are the foundation of our 10+ year history serving Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Through this programming area, One Classroom provides annual monetary grants to fund the salaries of support staff, adaptive technology, and continuing education for educators, all of which are essential for the inclusion of students with disabilities and learning differences. Further, One Classroom’s programming staff provides additional support through coaching, onsite evaluation, and ongoing training. Schools receiving this financial support are known as, “partner schools.”

Professional Development

Since One Classroom’s founding, our organization has prioritized the vital role of investing in local educators’ professional growth. Each year, our programming staff provides workshops and seminars for local educators related to inclusive Catholic education. Our resources, like the One Classroom Manual, are used in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and beyond. Additionally, One Classroom partners with local facilitators, national experts, and institutions of higher education to provide timely and impactful formation for our local teachers. Key partnerships with local institutions like Webster University, St. Louis University, and University of Missouri - St. Louis have proved invaluable to One Classroom’s success.

Parents & Families

Support for parents and families of children with disabilities and learning differences is at the heart of One Classroom’s mission. We walk in solidarity and shared faith with a national network of Catholic parents who navigate the unique challenges and blessings of having a child with a disability. Resources in our One Classroom Manual provide insights for those asking, “what’s next?” Locally, we strive to build fellowship among parents in the Archdiocese of St. Louis seeking to foster lifelong connections, mentorship, and community for themselves and their children. Further, engaging parents and families of neurotypical children is an important part of making inclusion a core value for the whole parish and school community.

Community Engagement

Finally, One Classroom’s work in the broader community – engaging the local church, advocating for federal and state funding, and partnering with local community organizations – is essential to successful inclusion. Collaborating with like-minded community organizations develops a multi-tiered network of support to serve the needs of a broad spectrum of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, learning differences, and physical needs. While One Classroom cannot be everything to everyone, we can strive to build a network of resources to find every answer for everyone.