Overview

The Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) offers successful educational programs for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The center’s innovative collaboration with the public school district is bringing new choices for families of children with autism.

With the rate of autism diagnoses on the rise - current numbers estimate that one in every 88 U.S. children is on the autism spectrum - the Florida Autism Charter School of Excellence (FACSE), a Florida nonprofit entity, was awarded a grant by the Florida Department of Education to open FACE in 2007. FACE exclusively serves children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and offers educational solutions for students ages 3 to 22 in pre-k through 12th grade. Located at 6400 E. Chelsea St. in Tampa, the school is available to families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The academic program at FACE focuses on developing the appropriate paths of learning to meet the specific individual needs of each of its students in all areas of functioning. At FACE, students gain the academic, social and behavioral skills they need to help them become more independent later in life. FACE uses the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) – an effective, research-based strategy that has been proven to be effective for teaching students with autism.

Since 2009, the FACE charter school has been managed by Quest, Inc. Quest helps children and adults with disabilities achieve their dreams of going to school, having a job, living on their own, and experiencing summer camp. As Central Florida’s premier provider of these services, Quest makes a difference in the lives of more than 1,100 people each day and has been part of our community for nearly 50 years.

Under the Quest umbrella, FACE is part of Quest Schools, a leading provider of educational services for children with autism, developmental delays and related disorders. In addition to FACE, Quest Schools also consists of Orlando-based Quest Kids Academy. For more information about Quest, visit www.questinc.org.