South Florida Autism Charter School Hosts Dedication Ceremony for New Campus

Building Hope Financing Enables Partner School to Realize Goal of All-In-One Campus To Meet Needs of Students, From Newly Diagnosed Children to Adults

South Florida Autism Charter School celebrated the completion of its new campus last week by hosting a Dedication Ceremony for the school community, including students, parents, teachers, local leaders, and elected officials. Building Hope provided financing for SFACS’ new campus to support the school’s goal to expand programs and services in an all-in-one campus that will meet the needs of the entire demographic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), from newly diagnosed children to adults living with ASD. Building Hope is a non-profit foundation dedicated to creating high-quality K-12 charter school opportunities for students through its expertise in real estate, finance and operational services.

More than 90 school community members attended the special event in support of the school, including the following:

• Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor, Miami-Dade County
• Officer Morris Copeland, Chief Community Services Miami-Dade
• Mr. Carlos Hernandez, Mayor, City of Hialeah
• Jose "Pepe" Diaz, Chairman, Commission District 12
• Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho
• Dr. Michael Alessandri, Executive Director, UM-NSU Card Center
• Building Hope Services President Richard Moreno
• Former Building Hope Chief Financial Officer Paul Leleck

“We are overwhelmed by the support and generosity of our families and community members,” said SFACS Principal and Executive Director Tamara Moodie, Ph.D. “We strive to provide the best possible individualized education for children with ASD, and we want to do it in the best possible facilities. Our new campus has ample room for our classrooms, a variety of recreational activities, including swimming, and space to accommodate the additional services we still aspire to provide.”

South Florida Autism Charter School provides education and therapeutic services to 270 individuals in grades K-12 diagnosed with ASD, about half of whom qualify for the free and reduced price lunch program. Students reside in Miami-Dade/Broward Counties, have communication deficits and/or behavioral challenges, and may require training in self-help skills.

“SFACS provides a tremendous service to the community by designing educational programs to meet the needs of students with behavioral difficulties, communication deficits, and self-care skills needs,” said Building Hope Holdings President, Joe Bruno. “We are so inspired by the programs underway at this school. It is uplifting to us to be able to continue to support them.”

Students enrolled in K-12 may apply at any time during the school year. Additional information about SFACS’ curriculum, enrollment and frequently asked questions are available online.

Building Hope helps charter schools identify, finance and build facilities customized to schools’ needs. The organization also provides support services that allow school administrators to keep their focus on educating students. For more information about how Building Hope helps charter schools nationwide with facilities, financing, and operational services, visit www.buildinghope.org.

About Building Hope

Building Hope is a non-profit foundation created to support education and public charter schools. Since 2003, Building Hope’s purpose has been to identify and finance viable facilities so that all students have access to a quality K-12 education. Building Hope has grown the capacity of charter schools nationwide by providing facilities, financial, and operational services so that schools can focus on and devote more resources to educating students in underserved communities. Building Hope has supported 300 charter school projects and 150,000 students in 20 states and the District of Columbia, by providing more than $363 million in direct loans, credit enhancements, and equity investments to support $1.9 billion in school construction.

About South Florida Autism Charter School

South Florida Autism Charter School provides education and therapeutic services to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders residing in Miami-Dade/Broward Counties, targeting students with communication deficits and/or behavioral challenges, and who may require training in self-help skills. The methodologies of B.F. Skinner’s Theory of Applied Behavioral Analysis and Verbal Behavior are applied in conjunction with state standards for students on a modified curriculum in order to provide the most effective individualized educational programs possible. South Florida Autism Charter school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital status or genetic information in its educational programs, services or activities. or in its hiring or employment practices. ​

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