The Monarc was founded in May 1962 by parents and other community members who were concerned about the lack of services available for people with disabilities and their families. From that original foundation The Monarc continued to support special education for the trainable and severely impaired individuals in Monroe County.

In 1963, two schools were prepared and maintained by the parents for the trainable mentally
impaired students. They were held at Marron School, no longer in existence, and Bridge School, the oldest public school in Michigan. Two programs for the severely cognitively impaired students were open in the basement of churches in Ida and Temperance in 1965.

     In 1971, parents were instrumental in encouraging the passage of legislation to authorize the Monroe County Intermediate School district board to construct, own, and operate buildings to serve the cognitively impaired. Parents went door to door to solicit support to approve a bond to build the current Monroe County.

     Monroe County Intermediate School District (MCISD) Educational Center which opened in the spring of 1972.

In 2007, Monarc was reorganized to become The Mon-Arc of Monroe, Inc.; still guided by the same sense of purpose and dedication that inspired those parents 60 years ago. We have a rich tradition of supporting quality programs that address education, personal independence, health care, socialization, and other concerns. The Mon-Arc of Monroe, Inc. continues to be the voice of the intellectual and developmentally disabled population of Monroe County.

     An in-depth history of Mon-Arc is on our website. Founding members of Mon-Arc were interviewed and spoke about the beginning years and what it took to provide education to their children.