The Barn at Spring Brook Farm

The mission of The Barn at Spring Brook Farm (The Barn) is to enrich the lives of children with disabilities through animal-assisted activities focusing on interacting with and caring for small farm animals. Located on a 17.5 acre farm in West Chester, our facility is fully handicapped-accessible so that children with a wide variety of physical and developmental disabilities can participate safely and as independently as possible.  This unique program is the only one of its kind in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The Barn offers a healing alternative for children whose lives are often filled with challenges and limitations, and provides a safe, secure, and happy setting in which they can excel, discover and embrace their capabilities while interacting with and nurturing small animals.

The Barn accomplishes its mission through four main programs: Camp Geronimo, Individual Programs, Educational Field Trips and Socialization Events. These programs are unique in that they do not use traditional riding or other mounted equestrian work. The Barn utilizes miniature horses, miniature donkeys, goats, sheep, bunnies, hens and other small animals to work with children in a child-directed, nurturing setting. Smaller animals are less intimidating and provide many benefits. Their size allows children to become care-takers, an empowering experience since many of these children are being ‘taken care of’ most of the time. 

The primary target population of The Barn is children ages 2-12 with physical, cognitive and/or developmental disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder, who reside in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The Barn also ensures that no child is excluded from programming because of financial difficulties. Approximately 25% of our families receive financial aid.

The Barn was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2005.