Safe Able Integrated Learners

The SAIL Program represents HCA’s commitment to whole-student formation—academic, emotional, and spiritual.

Colorful painting of a lighthouse and a lighthouse-shaped building with a flag, set against a vibrant sunset sky. Handwritten quote in the center reads: 'My lighthouse shining through the darkness you will carry me safe to shore.'

The SAIL Program (Safe Able Integrated Learners) is Harbor Christian Academy’s comprehensive student wellness and support program, designed to address the academic, behavioral, and emotional challenges that often hinder student success. Many HCA students face barriers rooted in learning differences (dyslexia, dysgraphia, language disorders) or trauma.

The SAIL Program affirms the biblical truth that every child is made in the Imago Dei (Image of God) and is called to experience abundant life in Christ. By providing targeted interventions, counseling, and family engagement, this program equips students not only to learn but to heal, flourish, and thrive in community.

Students who once struggled with self-regulation, reading, or emotional expression have gained new skills, confidence, and healing. Families are empowered to reinforce these changes at home, and teachers are equipped to serve students with compassion and effectiveness. This program has helped to change the trajectory of individual students and positively impact school culture. 

Program Components


  • Training faculty to recognize and respond to learning differences and trauma

  • Integrating trauma-informed practices into classroom instruction

Teacher Support and Education

  • On-campus Christian counseling (individual and group sessions)

  • Connection groups designed to build coping skills, emotional awareness, and healing

Student Trauma Recovery and Counseling

  • Parent workshops on learning differences, trauma recovery, and home support

  • Newsletters and signed family covenants to ensure ongoing commitment

Family Engagement and Education

  • Specialized reading groups, educational and speech therapy

  • Partnerships with National Institute for Learning Development, Blue Water Educational Therapy, Momentum Therapy Center, and Mary Engle, LPC

Learning Difference Intervention

HCA logo of a lighthouse inside a shield-shaped emblem.

“After several years of working [at a] nearby [mission center], I decided to join the HCA team because I believed in the mission and vision. I’ve seen how Harbor is a beacon in the community and education is one of the greatest ways to bring holistic hope into the Denver Harbor community. The kids motivate me to continue serving at HCA. They bring me so much inspiration by their sense of joy and hope. I’ve seen so much growth in many of the students that I know my time at HCA is a great investment into the community.”

— MR. ORTIZ, ATHLETICS DIRECTOR