Dooley Schools at St. Joseph's Villa

The Villa offers special and alternative schools for students K-12 who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder; emotional and learning disabilities; are on long-term suspension from public schools; or who need a smaller and more flexible learning environment. The large majority of these children are from low-income urban neighborhoods and have little opportunity to garden or even be outdoors in a natural setting, other than at the Villa. 

Our Learning & Therapy Garden has the following goals: 1) to teach children and young people the connection between food and health; 2) to provide a setting for outdoor therapy; 3) to enable children to grow, harvest, prepare, and eat fresh food in the garden and in our Training Kitchen. ADA accessible beds and pathways permit involvement of those with physical disabilities. An outdoor classroom facilitates learning.