The school, which will initially serve children ‹ including disabled children ‹ from kindergarten to third grade, is expected to open this August.

"We¹re very excited about starting the school this fall," said Claire Cavallaro, a CSUN professor and director of the CHIME Institute, which promotes the full inclusion of disabled children in classrooms. "This is a dream for parents, teachers and CSUN faculty who have always wanted to demonstrate the best practices in inclusive education and support all students to achieve the highest academic standards."

Applications are available by calling (818) 677-4979.

The charter school, which is independent of the university, will offer a full curriculum developed in collaboration with CSUN faculty. It will also serve as a laboratory setting where student teachers from CSUN's College of Education will learn best practices in elementary education and inclusive education ‹ the practice of welcoming children with disabilities into typical classrooms as equal members of the class.

Of the 20 students in each of the charter school's classes, three or four will have some type of disability.

"The school is designed so that each child will excel, whether they are disabled or not," Cavallaro said. "We will be using innovative approaches that capitalize on each child's strengths."

The CHIME Charter Elementary School will open for the fall 2001 school year at the end of August. The school will be located in space leased from The Cornerstone Christian Church at the corner of Parthenia Street and Winnetka Avenue. As a public charter school, tuition to the facility is free.

For more information about the school call (818) 677-4979.

California State University, Northridge has more than 29,000 full- and part-time students and offers 58 bachelor's and 50 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.