Florida county approves charter school for children aged 3-5 with developmental disabilities

From the Pensacola News Journal in Florida:

The Santa Rosa County School District has a new charter school.

Board members have approved the Capstone Academy Milton Charter School for children ages 3 to 5 who have developmental disabilities.

Enrollment will cap at 30 children. The charter school is across from the new Milton Fire Station on Stewart Street and will open in January.

"By keeping classes small, children get more attention," said Trudy O'Brien, assistant to the president/chief executive officer at United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Florida, which operates Capstone.

Capstone's target group and solid track record with its Pensacola site led to the approval for it to become a public charter school, said Ed Gray, board chairman.
"Between their reputation and ability to address the special needs of children, it looks like it will be a benefit to our community," he said.

Capstone Academy Milton Charter School will have a voluntary pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds, and an after-school and summer school program for children with special needs up to age 18. It also will have extended day and summer vacation camps.

At least one call a week for services in Santa Rosa is taken by O'Brien.

"There is a huge need for parents who have children with developmental disabilities such as autism," she said. "Out of five calls I take for information referrals, at least one is from a parent with a young child who has no place to go."

Using its $100,000 IMPACT Pensacola grant, a school bus is being purchased and an educational playground is being installed, O'Brien said.

"We have also done a massive renovation of the building, which was once a bank," she said. "It cost about $170,000."

Speech, physical and occupational therapists, along with teachers and teachers' aides, are being hired, O'Brien said.

"The therapists will work with early intervention," she said. "They will also go into homes and work with a child who has disabilities, teaching them things like roll over or swallow."

The financial impact to the district should be negligible, Gray said. He also thinks the charter school will aid children not enrolled in the district.

"We have well-respected programs that do an excellent job for special needs children," he said. "But this school specializes in younger children, and might meet their needs as we would like to."

The charter school will fill a unique need in the community and allow children to begin their foundation of life-long learning at the youngest possible age, O'Brien said.

"It will also enhance their opportunity for success as they prepare for kindergarten and first grade," she said.