SEFFNER, Fla. — It's not always easy for families to find the perfect school for their children, especially if they have unique abilities. There's a school in Seffner that was created to make sure these kids reach their maximum potential.
Impact Academy was founded 10 years ago by two moms with non-verbal, autistic sons. They weren't finding exactly what they needed in other schools, so they created one.
"We started as a summer camp program and rolled right into an academic year right after that," Beth Bates said.
She is the managing director of Impact Academy.
"Back then, even compared to now, just services for children with autism was a lot more difficult to come by," she said.
Bates is proud of what this school has been about to accomplish in a decade.
"I would say probably about 70-80% of our kids have autism, however, we will take any sort of disability or need."
Each day starts with teaching kids things like social appropriateness and life skills, but academics are also important.
"We cover core academics here which for us is reading, writing or language arts and math," Bates said. "So those are skills that we feel many of our children are totally capable of learning some level of that."
And Beth says there are lots of breaks for the kids to rest, get some fresh air, or even play in the sensory gym.
"Our hope is for, first and foremost, the kids to feel safe and loved here, obviously. Then that translates into mom and dad feeling safe and feeling ok once they know that their kids are in a good place."
Beth says she always takes time to walk around the school to fully appreciate the heroes who come here every day to teach and care for each child.
"We have changed so many families lives and that just makes me very proud to work here."
Impact Academy is a private school, but most of the children there are on scholarships. There's a main school in Seffner and a second location in South Tampa.
There's also a transitional school and they are currently working on a living facility for those who need full-time care. Click here to find out more about Impact Academy.