A first-of-its-kind school for Easterseals Florida celebrated a ceremonial groundbreaking for the school’s outdoor ‘Boundless Playground’ at the BayCare HealthHub off Bloomingdale Avenue in Valrico.
The February 6 event afforded also an opportunity to showcase the Easterseals School for Limitless Learning, under construction in the BayCare HealthHub, for young children who are neurodiverse or have other related disabilities. Officials said the school is the first of its type for Easterseals Florida, which covers a 40-county area.
According to Easterseals officials, with the growing number of children in Hillsborough County diagnosed with neurodiverse conditions, the school is necessary to meet the demand for specialized early education. These conditions include such things as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia and dyslexia.
Officials also said the school is uniquely focused on helping children from infancy to second grade reach developmental milestones through hands-on activities in a private school setting.
Set to open in mid-2024 for both summer and academic year programming, the school will house a lower elementary school program (preschool through second grade) and an early childhood program (infant to age 3). The Boundless Playground is sponsored by the Spurlino Foundation. The indoor sensory room, designed to reduce anxiety and improve focus, is sponsored by the Francis and Gertrude Levett Foundation. The curriculum reportedly is based on Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s DIRFloortime model, a play-based approach to support children with autism.
According to Easterseals Florida, this year alone an estimated 2,400 children under age 5 will be diagnosed with autism in Hillsborough County. From birth to age 2, it’s especially important that children on the autism spectrum receive the therapies, support and education they require, which officials said will give them “a head start that will sustain them and their families for decades to come.”
Families wishing to get on the waitlist for available student seats should email school officials at LimitlessLearning@fl.easterseals.com, call 813-236-5589 or visit www.easterseals.com/florida/programs-and-services/children–families/school-for-limitless-learning.html.
Founded in 1919, Easterseals reportedly is the nation’s largest nonprofit health care organization. Its mission is to lead the way to 100 percent equity, inclusion and access for people with disabilities, their families and communities by enriching education, enhancing health, expanding employment and elevating community. For more information, visit www.easterseals.com/florida/.
