Governor Baker Visits Milestones Day School; Lauded for Growth and Progress
April 14, 2022
Milestones Day School and Transition Program, located in Waltham MA, had the privilege of an informal visit from Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday. Milestones was identified by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an example of an approved special education school making extraordinary efforts to maintain on-site, in-person instruction, and a previous visit was canceled due to a state of emergency snow storm and was able to be rescheduled. Governor Baker had the opportunity to tour the school, talk with staff and students about what they love about Massachusetts and where they are from, and even sample an apple fritter produced by student interns in our Post-High School program. His down-to-earth style and genuine interest in connecting with the Milestones community through conversation, selfies, and even shared jokes with students brought joyful excitement to all.
Matthew Rego, our student representative from Medford, said, “It was an honor to represent Milestones and meet Governor Baker. He was very relatable. He told me, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ and told us about his experience of losing his first run for governor in 2010, but coming back to succeed in 2014”.
Kimberly Rockers, Chief Executive Officer, added, “Governor Baker has been a tremendous advocate for approved special education schools. He has not only recognized the positive impact of our programs for remaining open for full onsite instruction during the pandemic, but he also championed critical funding initiatives for our industry aimed at faculty retention, recruitment, and helping to offset the magnitude of COVID expenses. With pride, our faculty and students have been looking forward to welcoming the Governor to Milestones for an onsite visit since 2020. His sincerity, level of engagement, enthusiasm, and respect he offered our students and faculty was an honor, and this visit will undoubtedly remain as a highlight for our school community.”
Throughout the pandemic, Milestones not only safely remained open for onsite instruction, but significantly expanded our facility, adapted and created new programming, increased staffing to meet students’ complexity and the needs of public districts, and embraced initiatives to retain and recognize our most important asset to students’ success – our dedicated faculty.
About Milestones Day School & Transition Program: Milestones is a therapeutic day school located in Waltham, MA, serving students ages 5-22. Our students are frequently diagnosed with autism and may also present with ADHD, anxiety, and other mental health issues or specific learning disabilities. Students are provided with challenging academics by certified teachers, including reading and math specialists, in a therapeutic milieu staffed by psychologists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and board certified behavior analysts. Employment and community skills are also included for older students.