Program to Educate Students with Autism Expands to New Campus
June 16, 2007 – The Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) today officially opened its new charter school campus to serve students with autism.
Located at 6400 East Chelsea Street in Tampa, the school will serve students ages three to 22 with autism spectrum disorders on a 140-acre campus, which includes game rooms, computer labs, horse stables, gym, basketball courts and boat house with canoes.
FACE, a non-profit corporation dedicated to the education of children and young adults with autism, engaged Educational Services of America (ESA), the nation’s leading provider of special and alternative educational programs for children, to manage the program. ESA is based in Nashville, Tenn., and manages more than 120 schools and programs in numerous states throughout the country. ESA operates 38 schools and programs in Florida, including nine programs specifically for students with autism.
“Students with autism can succeed in social and academic goals with the right type of instruction, encouragement and tools for learning,” Mark Claypool, president and chief executive officer of ESA, said. “Studies prove the value of early intervention and FACE enrolls students as young as three. Older students, too, benefit from specialized programs, which FACE also provides to students through age 22.”
The need for educational services for students with autism is great in Florida, where U.S. Department of Education ranked the state sixth in the nation for the incidence of autism in 2005 with 7,918 cases of autism in children ages six through 21. Current estimates put the number of American children with autism at one out of every 150. Nationwide, the number of children diagnosed with autism continues to increase at a rate of more than 20 percent a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health.
All ESA Exceptional Schools in Florida accept scholarships from the McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities. Created by John M. McKay, former president of the Florida State Senate, the McKay Scholarship helps parents enroll their child in an eligible public or private school of their choice. However, of the 385,000 students in Florida with special needs who are eligible for the scholarship, only 17,000 students have applied. FACE can help parents who have questions about the school or the scholarships.
“More than 100 students are already enrolled at FACE. We can accommodate 200 students this first year and we will enroll more students each year, especially as more families access the McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities,” Claypool said.
ESA also operates FACE programs at the four ESA Exceptional Schools in Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk Counties.
For more information about the Florida Autism Center of Excellence or the McKay scholarship, contact FACE at 866-951-FACE (3223) or visit www.faceprogram.org.
About Educational Services of America
Educational Services of America is the nation's leading provider of K-12 and post-secondary alternative and special education programs. Based in Nashville, Tenn., ESA owns and operates more than 120 schools and programs in numerous states throughout the country. ESA provides highly personalized academic and behavioral services for students through the following branded areas: College Living Experience, College Living Prep, ESA Exceptional Schools, Ombudsman Educational Services and Spectrum Center Schools. For more information, visit www.esa-education.com.
