This is a Magic Place.  We Are Making Tomorrow!

Providence Academy is a not for profit 501 (C) (3) that serves students in grades K-12 who present with special needs in the areas of cognitive, language and social development. Our students come to us with a variety of learning differences including diagnosis of ADHD, PDD, High Functioning Autism and Learning Disabilities like Dyslexia.

We are located in east and west Orlando. There are no other schools in East and West Orlando that work with the population of children that Providence serves.  These students are not severe enough to be in intensive self-contained classes and not able to make adequate progress with pull out programs offered in public and other private schools. Our mission is to provide intensive, research based, small group instruction, with integrated therapies, so that students will progress and be able to live independently and become active members of the community.

The program is very individualized. There are four students to every one teacher and instruction often happens in groups of two or three children to every one teacher.  Instruction is based in latest research and targeted at each child’s level.  Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Social Skills Training are integrated into the school day.  Individual therapies can be provided in addition to small group interventions, and our therapists work with teachers to integrate motor, sensory and language goals into the classroom.

Our students come to Providence and are often 3-5 years below grade level. However, they typically make academic gains of 1 to 3 years during their first year at Providence.

Community Service and School To Work programs are a component of Providence as well, because we want our students to grow up and become independent, active and fully functioning members of our community.  Our graduates have gone off to college or begun a vocation and Providence’s transition program provides support to these students so that they can find success in higher education and in life. 

Many of our students receive McKay Scholarship funding from the state, but it is often not enough to cover the cost of tuition.  When a family moves in from out of state or the child has attended private school, they are not eligible for the McKay  funding, so parents must fund the entire tuition.  Parents are often struggling financially, but at the same time see what Providence has done for their child and family.  A scholarship fund is key to the success and growth of Providence, so more families will have access to this program.  Scholarships can go toward a student’s tuition and/or toward individual speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, or counseling. 

Our students learn very differently and technology can sometimes be the key to unlocking a child’s potential.  There are computer based programs that improve auditory processing, processing speed, attention, reading comprehension and can assist a child in communicating their ideas and needs. Many of these programs are extremely costly and require updated computers to run the software.  Many of Providence’s computers are 10 years old and do not support the latest software programs.  We are seeking funds to purchase 30 new computers, 6 smart boards, and 20 I-Pads.  This technology will be used to help make reading, math and writing a more interactive process for students.  It will help train auditory pathways in their brain, so that they will be able to more accurately identify and sequence sounds in order to decode words and spell with greater efficiency and accuracy.  It will improve processing speed and verbal fluency by training the timing of the brain.  It will allow students to investigate information on the internet and integrate this information by using pictures, visual organizers, and word processing programs to create presentations and reports.  It will allow us to download books to increase our library and allow groups of students to participate in a book share reading group and discussion. Smart boards will allow teachers to bring abstract information to life and help students with language impairments and learning disabilities the opportunity to comprehend complex information.  I-Pads can allow children with limited language to communicate by touching pictures and then repeating what the computer voice says. 

Within the last five years that Providence has opened, our enrollment has more than tripled.  Our current locations are too small and we are bursting at the seams.  We have an opportunity to utilize a piece of property in East Orlando to build a permanent facility for our students and provide them with a play ground area and out door learning space.  This project will cost approximate $750,000.00 and will not only benefit our students, but also help the church that will provide us with the land. This partnership will give the students a place to learn and the community a place to meet in the evenings and on weekends. Having a permanent building will lower Providence’s overhead costs, so we do not have to raise tuition. We are currently looking for a similar location in West Orlando and have plans to have a facility on that side of town as well in order to better serve children within their community.

With your support we can change the lives of these children and families to create a better tomorrow!