by John Davis

Created on: March 14, 2009

Name one way to give your child a positive global perspective while providing for their academic, emotional, and psychological development. Time's up, and the answer is international boarding school.

As an example, let's look at one such school located in Florida. The Vanguard School in Lake Wales is a special education institution, comprised largely of students from around the world with mild to moderate learning disabilities. The curriculum is specially modified to accommodate each child's learning differences, and the faculty is made up of highly-skilled and certified educators. Class size sits at about eight pupils per class, so that individual attention can be given to each person and his or her special set of needs. The student body stands at about 150 year-round, meaning the school is small enough for each individual there to become familiar with everyone else.

There is a warmth and security about the campus that is very home-like, and students often boast that they receive better treatment at Vanguard than they would in their native country. Contributing to this success is the school's dining hall, where gourmet meals are prepared for breakfast, lunch, and dinner by a specially-trained staff of chefs, sous chefs, and dietary specialists who ensure each student is receiving food that corresponds to their personal and medical profile.

Another bragging point for the school is its field trips. Whether it's an educational outing to nearby Sea World or Highlands Hammock State Park, or whether it's a recreational trip to Disney, Universal Studios, or the local mall and movie theater, students get to experience a broad range of life-enhancing journeys that they will not soon forget.

The school is also college preparatory in nature, meaning that despite students' personal challenges, each one is prepared for collegiate or university life after high school. The percentage of students who go on to a four-year college or university after leaving Vanguard fluctuates from 95 percent to 98 percent during any given year. Some students may choose other life paths after their time at the school, but even then, they have received the best possible preparation for life beyond their academic years.

For those students who are considering a more hands-on career, the school offers successful programs such as culinary arts and industrial arts to prepare students for the vocation of their choice. One Vanguard graduate who took advantage of the culinary arts program is Ben Walanka,

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