Our Programs

Navigating the World: Cooke Students
in the Community

cooke programs

Enriching the lives of every student

At Cooke, we equip students with the skills and experiences needed to thrive beyond the classroom. Our programs focus on fostering confidence and self-reliance, ensuring each student is prepared to navigate their future with success.

SUMMER ACADEMY

Engaging, real-world learning

The Cooke Summer Academy (CSA) is a six-week program that reinforces students' academic and social skills through a multi-sensory, thematic-based learning environment. Divided into two three-week sessions, students are grouped by learning profiles and receive integrated services like speech therapy, counseling, and occupational therapy. Core academic areas include reading, writing, and mathematical problem-solving, complemented by community inclusion opportunities such as travel training, service projects, and off-site education, all designed to enhance real-world learning experiences.

Related Services

During the summer program, goals for related services are met through individual, small group, and/or classroom push-in sessions. To enhance and integrate these goals, related service providers establish an overall therapeutic theme consistent with the academic curriculum to enable students to work collaboratively with classmates on a project (e.g. creating a music compilation CD). Related service sessions use the project as the context for work on the individual student’s relevant goals and skills (e.g., using descriptive language to discuss music in speech therapy, identifying and conveying emotions through music selection in counseling and discussing music as a method for self-regulation in occupational therapy). Providers assess student needs throughout the program and provide services to meet those needs. Additionally, related service providers collaborate regularly with teachers and assistant teachers to help students move toward achieving their goals while working in the classroom.

Community Inclusion

Community inclusion opportunities complement academic thematic units by providing students with experiences in their local community settings. Travel Training, Community Service projects, and/or Off-Site Education activities are integrated into the weekly schedule in order to maximize students’ experiences in the community.

Extracurricular Activities

Social skills, health and fitness, and the development of personal interests are reinforced through extracurricular activities. These weekly activities may include yoga, drumming, cooking, arts and crafts, chess and other board games, technology, basketball, trips to the park, museums, monuments and other cultural or historic points of interest in the City. Trips complement and enhance the thematic academic work and provide students with hands-on experiences to connect their classroom learning with the New York City community.

Training & Service

CSA high school students receive vocational and travel training through classroom curriculum units and community service experiences. Students hone these skills in formal training sessions that incorporate opportunities to apply skills in the community. Students work as a group to plan travel routes, discuss job expectations, and rehearse appropriate vocational behavior. In addition, high school students go into the community and identify people working in various job clusters (e.g., animal care, clerical, retail), as well as hear from alumni working in these different clusters.

AFTER SCHOOL

Fostering student relationships

These after-school programs are led by certified and licensed special education Cooke faculty. They are designed to provide opportunities for children with special needs to interact with their peers, through structured activities as well as free play. These activities are created to help students to develop social skills, team building and decision making skills.

alumni services

Maintaining strong connections

Cooke’s Alumni Association supports graduates of the Cooke School. We support a community of over 300 graduates and their families, with the following goals in mind: provide Alumni with regular opportunities for social, recreational and educational experiences; build community among Cooke Alumni and their families; provide Alumni and families ongoing transition and vocational support; promote awareness of the Cooke School and Institute through alumni community outreach and tracking the success of our graduates.

internships

Preparing for independence

Internship opportunities are available for students ages 14-21 to help them gain work skills, navigate professional environments, and maintain independence. By applying soft skills learned at Cooke, they enter the workforce with confidence, effectively communicating and advocating for themselves.

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS

Cooke School and Institute admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Dr. Mary Clancy

Associate Head of School, K-12

During her 18 years at Cooke, Mary wore many hats, and she made multitasking look easy. At times, an educator, school administrator, or mentor; at other times, a friend and cheerleader. But also a humorous, humble leader who cared deeply for every child, parent, and friend who passed through Cooke’s doors.

We honor Mary for the way she used all her talents to cultivate, create, and implement new programming, strategic initiatives, and organizational growth. As each year passed, our board, families, supporters and students had new, bold dreams, and Mary worked tirelessly to make those dreams a reality.

She looked forward to the future while still cherishing the presence and potential of each individual student, as they were, in the present moment. Right before she left, she said, “I am so proud of the work we do here. Know that even when I am not here in the building every day, I am always cheering for all of you, for all of Cooke, and for all the things yet to come.”

We honor Mary for her determination and insightful leadership; she exemplifies the Cooke spirit, and under her direction, our school became a “home” for generations of students. She helped us build community, and together we watched students learn and grow, spreading their wings and exploring the world of possibilities that lay before them.

Mary continues to play an important role at Cooke as an Education Consultant, while teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses as an Adjunct Professor at New York University and an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Empire State University.

Beyond her professional work, Mary remains a busy wife and mom. Both Jamie and Alice are steadfast Cooke supporters and can be seen at every school musical and basketball game. Her 9-year-old daughter Alice sums up her mom’s contributions best. In a recent writing assignment on “inspiration,” Alice described Cooke students as “nice, funny, creative and good people,” adding that her mom’s work as a “princable” inspires her to be her best self.

Sherri Shepherd

Cooke Transitions Parent, Internship Partner

Comedian, actress, author, and Daytime Emmy Award–winning talk show host Sherri Shepherd holds a title she values just as deeply: Cooke parent. Her son, JT, is a student in the Transitions program, where he is building the vocational and communication skills that define Cooke’s approach to young-adult success.

When JT joined Transitions, Sherri quickly became an active partner. After learning about Cooke’s vocational training model, she offered internship placements at her talk show studio. Over the past three years, Transitions students have joined her production team, contributing to a variety of projects, including distributing audience give-aways and designing cast & crew printed menus. These hands-on experiences reflect the real-world preparation at the heart of Cooke’s mission.

With a three-decade career spanning television hits such as 30 Rock, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as her current talk show, Sherri, film projects, podcast, and children’s book, Sherri has built a platform that reaches millions. She uses that platform not only to entertain, but to advocate for inclusion and opportunity.

Through her partnership with Cooke, Sherri helps ensure that students like JT gain the confidence, skills, and professional exposure needed to thrive beyond the classroom.