History

Founded in 1959 by Dr. Milton Brutten as the “Main Line Remedial Education Center,” The Vanguard School has become a leader in providing comprehensive social and “life-readiness” skills so that students become productive members of society. For nearly 50 years, Vanguard has been at the cutting edge for special education innovation.

Timeline of Events:

 

1959

The Vanguard School was incorporated by founder Dr. Milton Brutten.

 

1961

The Vanguard School moved from the private residence site where it had opened in the Parish House of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA.

 

1962

The acquisition of property at 257 Montgomery Avenue in Haverford allowed for the establishment of a Middle School to complement the Lower School in Paoli. The Lower School transferred to a newly purchased 4.1 acre campus on North Valley Road in June 1962. This campus grew to more than 50 acres over the next four years through the generous donations of land by Graeme Lorimer. The name was officially changed to "The Vanguard School" and the institution became the first private school in the Commonwealth approved under PA Act 318 to receive tuition assistance for children whose needs could not be served in their local public schools.

 

1963

The Vanguard School was licensed by the PA State Board of Private Academic Schools and designed to offer highly specialized teaching techniques in a small classroom setting for students who could not develop their potential in the typical public school setting. This concept proved to be successful as the institution developed a unique platform of innovative services that were accepted by institutions throughout the United States.

 

1964

An Upper School program began while the Haverford campus was expanded and renovated and The Vanguard High School became one of the few secondary programs for learning disabled students in the nation. Accreditation by the PA Association of Private Academic Schools followed in March, and the Prevocational Testing and Evaluation Center was instituted on the Haverford campus in September.

 

1966

The Vanguard concept spread south into Florida when a residential school was opened in Lake Wales on a 20-acre site donated by William Boyd.

 

1968

New schools were also established in Fort Lauderdale (since discontinued) and Coconut Grove, Florida. In addition, further achievement was evidenced when the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools accredited The Vanguard School. That same year saw the enactment of Act 369, providing tuition for Pennsylvania residents.

 

1976

The Vanguard School continued in its role as an acknowledged innovator in special education. This year, the Crossroads School was opened, under the aegis of Vanguard, to provide programming for young children with mild learning disabilities.

 

1981

Anticipating future challenges in the field of special education, all of the Pennsylvania programs were consolidated onto the Paoli campus, providing the opportunity to restructure programs to meet the changing needs of a diversified student population.

 

1983

Separate corporations were formed for the Pennsylvania and Florida schools. The Pennsylvania school corporation became known as the Valley Forge Specialized Educational Services Corporation.

 

1998

Construction of an on-campus Activities Center was completed and its amenities were opened for student and faculty use. The building included the John D. Wilson Children’s Center, a state-of-the-art occupational and physical therapy area, as well as the Thomas Murphy Lobby and Peter Musser Gymnasium. The Vanguard School Library & Media Center opened as an addition to the Upper School building.

 

2007

The Vanguard School unveils its new Star logo and tagline - “Learning for Life” in preparation for the celebration of its 50th Anniversary in the 2009-2010 school year.