Help Build Blooming Butterflies Academy – A Truly Inclusive Learning Space

Creating a safe, inclusive space where every learner can grow, connect, and flourish.

Blooming Butterflies Academy will be an inclusive enrichment and respite center in Lebanon, Kentucky — intentionally designed by centering the needs of individuals with disabilities and special needs, while welcoming learners of all abilities and backgrounds.

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My Story

My name is Ashley Blandford, and I am a certified special education teacher with over 11 years of experience, an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree, and — most importantly — a mom to an incredible neurodiverse child.

I have spent my career and my personal life navigating systems that were never designed for children like my daughter or the students I serve. I’ve watched families struggle to find safe after-school programs, respite care, and community spaces where their children are truly welcome — not merely tolerated.

Parents go years without a real break.

Children are excluded because environments aren’t safe, flexible, or accessible.

Families are left choosing between burnout and isolation.

Not because they are failing — but because the spaces around them were never built with their needs in mind.

That is why I am building Blooming Butterflies Academy — the space I wish existed for my daughter, my students, and families like ours.

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What We’re Building

Blooming Butterflies Academy will begin as a pilot location in Lebanon, Kentucky, inside a building we are working to purchase and intentionally transform into a sensory-aware, inclusive community hub.

This space will provide:

• After-School Enrichment & Respite Care

Safe, structured programming led by trained educators who understand neurodiversity, regulation, and inclusion.

• Academic & Social-Emotional Enrichment

Strengths-based learning in small groups and individualized settings — without pressure to conform to rigid norms.

• Young Adult & Transition Readiness Programs

Supporting teens and young adults with disabilities as they build independence, confidence, and real-world life skills.

• Family & Community Experiences

Opportunities for connection, learning, and belonging — because inclusion works best when it is shared.

This is not just an after-school space.

It is a safe place.

A community space.

A place families can finally trust.

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Designed for Inclusion — Built for Everyone

Many spaces today are not ADA-compliant, not sensory-aware, and not designed to support the full range of human needs. They are built around neurotypical norms — often unintentionally excluding children with disabilities and special needs.

Blooming Butterflies Academy was created to challenge that model.

This is a space open to learners of all abilities, learning styles, and backgrounds. Children learn and grow together — not separated. The environment, supports, and programming are intentionally designed by centering those with the highest support needs, including individuals with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, anxiety, sensory processing differences, and other disabilities.

When we design with the most unique needs in mind, we create truer, more meaningful inclusion.

Here, children build empathy, form meaningful relationships, and learn how to be peers, mentors, and friends. No one has to mask. No one has to explain. Belonging is not earned — it is built into the space itself.

This approach is intentional.

It is welcoming.

And it is deeply effective.

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A Replicable Model

Blooming Butterflies Academy is not just one building.

This Lebanon location will serve as a pilot and living model for what inclusive, community-based enrichment and respite can look like when it is designed with intention, research, and lived experience.

The long-term vision is to replicate this model beyond Kentucky — bringing inclusive, sensory-aware community spaces to families everywhere who are still waiting for a place that truly fits.

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How Your Donation Helps

Every contribution directly supports:

• A down payment on our first building

• Sensory-friendly renovations and flexible room design

• Learning materials, calming tools, and enrichment resources

• Furniture, room dividers, and safety equipment

• Licensing, insurance, and startup costs

Your support helps turn this vision into a real, physical space where families can finally breathe.

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Why This Matters

Too many families are surviving instead of thriving — not because they are doing anything wrong, but because the systems and spaces around them were never designed with their children in mind.

Blooming Butterflies Academy exists to change that.

This is about building environments that flex, adapt, and make room for everyone — so no child is left out, and no family feels alone.

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Thank You

If this story resonates with you — whether you are a parent, educator, family member, or ally — please consider donating or sharing.

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps plant the seeds for a space where every learner can bloom.

With gratitude,

Ashley Blandford, Ed.S.

Founder & Visionary Educator, Blooming Butterflies Academy