What\u2019s next? KOA campground next to Lion Country Safari to close this spring<\/a><\/p>\nAnother parent, Celia Roberts, said many families feel pushed toward homeschooling, even when it\u2019s not always realistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cHomeschool is a choice that a lot of moms are making in the district, but at the same time, some moms work. That\u2019s hard,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
Now, families may soon have a new option closer to home.<\/p>\n
The Treasure Coast School for Autism will begin with about 70 students in its first year, intentionally starting small. Leaders say grades will be added year by year, with long-term plans to eventually serve students into young adulthood.<\/p>\n
Regional Executive Director Ann Eisenberg says the school is designed to fill a gap many families say has been missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat our students tell us is it\u2019s a place where they\u2019ve made friends for the first time, where they\u2019re invited to birthday parties and included in after-school activities,\u201d Eisenberg said.<\/p>\n
Eisenberg says what sets the school apart is that all services are provided under one roof, including speech therapy, occupational and physical therapy, mental health services, and behavioral support. That allows students to receive help immediately, without long wait times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want our kiddos to feel really comfortable and really supported,\u201d Eisenberg said.<\/p>\n
She adds the school is about more than academics, it\u2019s about building a sense of belonging for both students and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cRaising a child with autism is not just about mom or dad or a guardian, it\u2019s about the whole community,\u201d Eisenberg said. \u201cAnd it takes a lot to help make that child a success in their own way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The charter school is set to open in August 2026, with registration opening January 26th<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Construction is underway on a new autism-focused school in St. Lucie County,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-125466","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-port-st-lucie","9":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","10":"tag-port-st-lucie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}