South Walton Academy

I am Calley Godbold Middlebrooks, an Early Intervention Therapist for the State of Florida’s Early Steps Program.  I am also a wife and mother of three. My son, Reid, was diagnosed with Autism at the age of four. 90% of my caseload involves children with Autism. I know the frustration these families deal with on a daily basis. I know how hard it is to get a diagnosis, to get therapy, to get support, and to get education for children with Autism. I have been on this path as a professional helping families and personally as a mother seeking services for my son. The one thing I see over and over again is families who need support. Children with Autism and on the Autism spectrum need therapy and an education system with a curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of their individual abilities.

There are many families in our area that need these services. Hopefully with some generous donations we can begin to provide services that are greatly needed by opening this Academy. 

1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism. Currently there is a huge gap in the education and therapy we need to provide for these children. Public schools and the common core curriculum are not equipped with the strategies and tools to teach children with Autism. South Walton Academy will provide the learning environment for the child who doesn't fit the mold for a standard curriculum. South Walton Academy is for the child who works above or below the “standard” pace. The advanced and typical developing children will learn and serve as great models while also being able to excel at their own individual pace.

Our long term goal is to grow to serve children until they graduate the 12th grade.

I have started this GoFundMe page to help launch this new private school, SOUTH WALTON ACADEMY, opening in August of 2016.  This Academy will offer individual education plans for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related disabilities as well as providing an individual learning curriculum for advanced and typical developing children. On site therapies will also be available. 

Children with certain disabilities such as ASD may qualify for state funded scholarships to help pay for private school. There are currently no private schools in our county that accept these scholarships. This school will CHANGE that!  We will accept scholarships such as the PLSA and McKay scholarship.

South Walton Academy will offer year-round a range of educational and therapeutic options including full time, part time, hourly, one-on-one, and group therapy. We will provide classroom instruction, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupation Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Individual Verbal and Behavior Therapy and Psychological Counseling, as well as providing evaluations. We will provide a learning curriculum for children with Autism and related disabilities in addition to typically developing children. Every student’s academic curriculum will be designed to meet the needs of their individual abilities. We will provide behavior therapy, social skills and communication. Our goal will be to maximize the potential of all the children we serve while giving the needed specialized instruction to those with Autism.

There is no school in this area for children with Autism and there is no place to receive ABA therapy. SOUTH WALTON ACADEMY will provide this as well as providing a place to receive all the therapies needed in one location. 

I am seeking donations to help with the startup costs for this Academy. Any amount would be extremely helpful.
We are in the process of filing for 501C3 Non Profit Tax Exempt Status which means all donations will be tax deductable. Every little bit helps until this big exemption kicks in. Keep checking. South Walton Academy and the children and families of South Walton County appreciate your donations and support. 
Thank you!

Calley Middlebrooks