If your child has specific disabilities or learning impairments, you might find it hard to meet their needs at a public school. Some private schools offer excellent programming for children with special needs. If you are looking for a private elementary school to meet the needs of your child, here are some things to look for and consider as you search for the school that will be the best fit. 

1. Funding

Some private schools that provide programs from special needs still get public funding for those programs. You might not need to pay the cost of a full private school tuition if you can find a school that seeks and obtains grants and public support. 

If the school you are interested in does not have publicly discounted rates, you can still access funding in other ways. You might use disability checks to help fund private school programs. Some private schools have private grants or scholarships from alumni or generous donations that allow for children with special needs to access higher-quality educational approaches. Don't let "sticker shock" keep you from investigating funding and grant options for your child, because many private schools do have means to provide some sort of financial aid. 

2. School quality

Not all private schools are better than public schools for educating children with special needs. Ideally, you would find a private school that provides highly trained staff who are very aware of what it is like to work with a child who has a specific disability. For example, if your child is blind, you might want to send them to a private school that has staff who are specifically qualified to work with blind students. Similarly, their are some private schools that provide specialized services for children on the autism spectrum or for children who have severe physical handicaps that hinder their learning. 

Simply put, not just any private school will do. When interviewing at different schools, ask about hiring qualifications. Private schools do not have to hire personnel with the same qualifications that are required to teach in public schools. Sometimes, private schools have higher hiring standards, or they accept alternative certification. Find out what the hiring recommendations are for the institution, and don't be immediately scared away for alternative credentials. For children with special needs, sometimes "outside the box" solutions can be very effective. 

3. Additional Accommodations

Since education in private schools does not have to follow the same exact structure of a public school, there is room for special accommodations, which can be helpful to a student with special needs. For example, in a public school, you would not be able to hire a personal aide or tutor for your child that goes with them to class. In-class aides have to be cleared, and they usually must work with several children, not just your own child. In a private school, you might find more flexibility with this sort of arrangement. If your child does well with a companion or special aide, you will need to address whether the private school will allow for additional, unconventional accommodations. 

Other unconventional accommodations might include increased recess or recreational time, bringing emotional support animals to class, or following a personalized curriculum instead of a standard IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that might be available in public programs. Medical service animals are admitted to public schools, but emotional support animals might not be. 

4. Medical Requirements

Many public schools require that admitted students have up-to-date vaccinations. If your child has a weak immune system as a result of disability, you want to make sure that your chosen private school has strict entrance requirements for students regarding vaccines and immunizations, since your child depends on herd immunity for protection against disease.