Oak Valley Center is located in Western Fairfax off of Waples Mill Road. Photo contributed
PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families, a local nonprofit helping youth with a variety of challenges and qualities succeed, will assume operations of Fairfax-based Oak Valley Center, a high quality educational program that also serves children with special needs, following the retirement of its founder. Starting March 1, Oak Valley has been renamed PHILLIPS School -- Fairfax and become PHILLIPS third special education day school serving the region, including locations in Annandale and Laurel, Md. — which serves youth from D.C. and Maryland.
“This is an exciting new chapter for PHILLIPS and Oak Valley. Over the years, we’ve worked with the well-regarded school and its founder Dr. Jaren Van Den Heuvel,” said Piper Phillips Caswell, president and CEO, PHILLIPS Programs. “Jaren wanted Oak Valley’s important work to continue past his retirement. We look forward to honoring his legacy as we grow our capacity to serve more Northern Virginia families.”
Founded in 1994, Oak Valley Center—located in Western Fairfax off of Waples Mill Road—serves a similar group of students as PHILLIPS, providing high quality special education services to students with special needs. The addition of Oak Valley to PHILLIPS’ stable of programs will enable the nonprofit to grow its programs and provide more geographic diversity in the Northern Virginia region. Currently, Oak Valley serves 40 students. With the changeover, the staff will remain in place and a new program director will take over for Dr. Van Den Heuvel.
PHILLIPS serves students with special needs ages 6-22 who have significant learning and emotional challenges and for whom school has often been a place of repeated failure and frustration. For 48 years, PHILLIPS has helped youth succeed by providing customized support and education through three programs, including: Special Education Day Schools in Annandale, Fairfax and Laurel, Md.; PHILLIPS Family Partners offering home and community-based counseling and support; and PHILLIPS Building Futures, an onsite building trades youth training program in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.