The Northside Children's Center (NCC) is a transitional, therapeutic school which combines the educational expertise of San Antonio's premier school district and the mental health expertise of the nationally recognized Southwest Mental Health Center. Backed by these two strong service organizations, NCC is able to provide comprehensive educational and mental health services to elementary students with severe emotional challenges whose needs cannot be addressed safely and effectively on a general education campus.

The philosophy of the NCC comes from three fundamental principles that guide our program.

1. Children should be educated and treated within the context of the family and home community systems, so long as this remains consistent with health and safety needs.
2. Treatment and education should be attuned to the whole child, that is, his or her biological, psychological, emotional, academic and social characteristics and needs.
3. Parents should be supported in their efforts to create positive experiences for the child in their home.

The primary goals of NCC are to help students understand and effectively resolve emotional conflicts, learn more functional and adaptive behaviors, acquire valuable community adjustment skills, and progress in an academic curriculum that is fully individualized around professionally assessed learning characteristics and needs.

Upon the acquisition of sufficient skills and emotional capabilities to support successful functioning on the general education campus, students are carefully transitioned back to the general education campus.