In November 2020, ECAC launched its Transition to Work (TTW) program, a pre-vocational program through the Florida Department of Education in partnership with Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) designed to teach our older students job skills for future employment. NWFSC has graciously partnered with us, along with the support of Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, so that our students can learn job skills in a safe, structured environment right here on campus.
Currently our students work in the following areas on campus: Receiving (mail sorting and campus vehicle washing), Kay Litke Culinary Arts Greenhouse (planting, harvesting and maintenance), Athletic Facilities (cleaning and organizing facilities), and Mattie Kelly Arts Center (ushering at performances).
The success and projected growth of the TTW program has led us to finally take the next step for ECAC. We are excited to announce the start of a Capital Campaign for a second facility dedicated to our TTW students and our students following an academic path. The new facility will be called Emerald Coast Learning Center and will be a 20,000 square foot building connected to our current facility on the Niceville, FL campus of NWFSC.
The new building will have unique facilities such as a commercial kitchen, a laundry facility, and a car wash to help our TTW students practice job skills in-house before heading out on campus or to other community partner job sites. It will also house several classrooms for our students on a path to graduate ECAC and continue with academics at other local public or private schools. Our current facility will be dedicated to younger students receiving one-to-one Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy services.
With your help, we will be able to fulfill a long-term commitment to families of individuals with autism on the Emerald Coast for a center that supports the unique needs of both children and young adults with autism. It is our goal to give all our students the opportunity to reach their highest potential!
You can be assured that your gift to ECAC’s Capital Campaign, no matter how large or how small, will have a meaningful impact on the students and families we serve.
To learn about specific gift opportunities, please contact
Heidi Blalock at 850.279.3000 or send us an email.