CREST Collaborative has programs from Pre-School all the way to adult. Scroll down to learn more.

Programs for Every Learner, Pre-School Through Adult

Six programs. One idea behind all of them.

Every student can learn, grow, and thrive given the right approach. What changes from program to program is the approach — the staffing ratio, the setting, the therapies, the pace.

EPIC serves students with intensive special needs, multiple disabilities, and medical complexity. Essex Lower Academy and Essex Upper Academy serve students with social-emotional and behavioral profiles. Lifeways and Lifeworks serve students with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities. Merrimack Academy serves students with complex at-risk backgrounds. Visions serves adults 22 and over under Massachusetts DDS contracts.

Find the fit below, then tell us about your student.

Elementary and Middle School Programs

  • Teacher helping a student with homework in a classroom.

    EPIC

    For students with intensive special needs, multiple disabilities and those who are medically fragile.

    Grades Pre-K-12+

    Contact Us
  • Children playing on swings in a park with a row of houses and a blue sky in the background.

    Essex Lower Academy

    For students who are identified with primary social-emotional disabilities.

    Grades Pre-K - 8

    Contact Us
  • A girl with brown hair sitting at a desk, writing in a notebook while looking at a laptop, in a room with a window and educational posters on the wall.

    Lifeways

    For students with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities.

    Grades Pre-K - 8

    Contact Us

High School Programs

  • A healthcare professional with a stethoscope around her neck is observing and assisting two young girls who are working together at a desk with a pen and paper in a classroom or clinic setting.

    EPIC

    For students with intensive special needs, multiple disabilities and those who are medically fragile.

    Grades K-12+

    Contact Us
  • A teenage boy working on a laptop at a classroom desk with notebooks and pens, while other students study in the background.

    Essex Upper Academy

    For students who have a documented history of emotional, behavioral and specific learning needs.

    Grades 8-12+

    Contact Us
  • A person sitting outdoors on a bench, wearing a black cap with the Adidas logo, a grey t-shirt, and various bracelets, writing in a notebook.

    Lifeworks

    For students with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities.

    Grades 8 - 12+

    Contact Us
  • A woman in a red dress is being awarded a graduation cap and holding a bouquet of flowers. Another woman, wearing glasses and a peach-colored crocheted top, helps place the cap on her head. The background suggests an indoor setting, likely a graduation ceremony.

    Merrimack Academy

    For students with emotional, behavioral, or academic needs, or students with complex at-risk backgrounds.

    Grades 8-12

    Contact Us

Adult Programs

  • A young person with curly hair wearing a striped shirt and jeans is using a photocopier or scanner in an office setting. Three other people are working in the background near windows.

    Visions

    Individuals 22 and over who are given either CBDS (Community Based Day Services) or Group Supported Employment contracts through the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) work out of our Visions program center.

    Contact Us