TORONTO – For 20 years, Zareinu Educational Centre has been brightening the lives of children with special needs through its unique integrated approach to education.

Marlene and Rachel Benlolo [Adam Joseph photo]

“There’s nothing like it,” said Marlene Benlolo, who sends her five-year-old daughter, Rachel, to the school. “They help with absolutely everything you can imagine.”

Rachel has a degenerative disease called Rett syndrome, which her mother described as similar to Parkinson’s disease.

Benlolo said the prognosis was that Rachel would be in a wheelchair forever. She hated music and would become hysterical when people touched her.

But four years later, she dances and sings in her music therapy sessions, and tries to touch and kiss the therapists, Benlolo says.

She’s even able to walk with assistance.

The school offers social workers, therapists from various backgrounds, and language and speech pathologists. It also brings Jewish education into the curriculum.

Teachers and therapists are integrated into the school, so both play a role in a child’s education.

Preschool teacher Jill Fruitman said that walking into the classroom, it would be difficult to distinguish between teachers, therapists and volunteers.

Although the school is celebrating the 20-year milestone, it’s laying the groundwork for the next generation in order to continue toward the goal of breaking down the barriers between children with and without special needs, said Randy Spiegel, Zareinu’s executive director.

One of the challenges the school faces is the lack of a central location. Right now, students are at the Sephardic Kehila Centre at Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue, while the administrative offices are near Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue.

Everything should be in the same place, Spiegel said. “That is the goal and objective.”

But one big hurdle is the cost. The school already relies heavily on private donations, with an annual goal of about $2.5 million a year, Spiegel said.

It’s not easy, he added, especially with the current economic situation, he said.

Despite the challenges, Zareinu has managed to find the money each year, said principal Mitch Parker, adding that it subsidizes the cost of educating the children, as well as the general expenses of operating the school.

It costs about $50,000 a year to educate a student in the program, and there are 68 children enrolled this year, he said. The families of full-time students are responsible for covering $29,500, and many families receive further subsidies.

The school also receives financial support from the provincial ministry of health and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

One reason people like to support the school is because it attracts some of the “top special needs educators and therapists,” Spiegel said.

“They’re the most supportive team you could ever imagine,” Benlolo agreed.

She described a time when Rachel was suffering from severe seizures and was in the hospital. One of the therapists visited Rachel to help her eat, even though it was outside of school hours.

“She never asked us for a dime and never mentioned it to anybody,” Benlolo said. “You can’t get this anywhere else.”

Fruitman said these actions are part of the general attitude among the staff.

“You have to give it your all,” she said. “If you don’t, you’re never going to make it.”

Zareinu’s next fundraiser is its annual Moveathon, in which people can register to run, walk, or bicycle varying distances. The festival portion and shorter distances will take place June 13 at Downsview Park, and the longer rides will be on June 27.

Those interested in registering can do so at http://www.zareinu.org