Autism is the nation’s fastest-growing serious developmental disorder with a new case diagnosed every 20 minutes.  That means 1 in every 150 kids born today will receive this terrifying diagnosis.  Tampa has thousands of children suffering from this neurological disorder and the resources to treat them are woefully inadequate.

What is the History of Sydney’s School for Autism?

Kathy Swenson (Director/Founder/Mom) started this school three years ago because her daughter, Sydney, was not receiving the proper instruction and treatment by her local school district.  Children on the autism spectrum need one-on-one support much of the time in addition to an intensive treatment plan to fit their specific needs.  The children also need access to typical peers to learn social skills. Great Beginnings Preschool, directed by Anita Maurer, took Sydney’s School under their wing three years ago.  Both schools are housed on the same campus and are now one big family under Sydney’s School.

The children receive one-on-one therapies and instruction with highly trained staff based on methodologies such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) that have been proven to give autistic children the best chance of living independent lives.  Consultants and therapists from around the country and the Tampa Bay area train staff and treat the children.

What Separates this School from Others?

Sydney’s School for Autism has so much to give and is the ONLY school of its kind in Hillsborough County servicing children on the autism spectrum.  Sydney’s School for Autism is a registered 501 (c) (3) organization.

Kathy Swenson started the organization and is the driving force behind it.  Florida lags behind compared to other states with regard to services, education, and the treatment of autism spectrum disorders as well as other special needs children.  Sydney’s School hopes to continue to grow by harnessing much-needed community support.  Kathy and this school are real pioneers in the Tampa Bay area advocating for autistic children at the state and local levels.

Funding

Kathy Swenson works endless hours as the school’s Director and does not receive a salary or a reduction in her daughter's tuition at the school.  Anita Maurer is presently working as the Preschool Director of the school for free as well.

The $36,666 year tuition is extremely low compared to other autism schools across the country; they range from $40,000-$100,000 per year.  The tuition barely covers therapists' salaries for the children’s one-on-one education and training, and operating costs of the school.  The school’s annual budget exceeds money brought in by tuition. Community support for Sydney’s School is vital.

Some children are eligible for the McKay Scholarship Program through the Florida Department of Education which allocates funds toward the tuition for eligible students.

Sydney’s School has constant fundraising initiatives to keep the cost of the tuition affordable and has been very successful at this point.  Mark and Christel Yaffe along with Avila Golf and Country Club hosted The First Annual: “Mingle with the Stars and Golf Classic” to support Sydney’s School for Autism in March 2006, with over 250 guests in attendance.

The events raised $100,000 for the school and both parties have agreed to continue to host this annual event. We are already gearing up for The Second Annual: “Mingle with the Stars and Golf Classic” was held March 10th and 12th, 2007.  Dozen of noted sponsors (Outback Steakhouse, JJ Taylor Distributors/Miller Lite, Publix, etc.) supported the fundraiser. We hope to continue gaining momentum to reach our goals this year.

An array of celebrities were in attendance at both events:

• Shelton Quarles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Anthony “Booger” McFarland of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Dave Andreychuk former Tampa Bay Lightning player

• Daren Puppa former Tampa Bay Lightning player

• Brian Bradley of the Tampa Bay Lightning

• Fred McGriff  former Tampa Devil Rays player

• Dale Eggeling  3-time LPGA Tour Champion

• Jane Geddes  former US Open and LPGA Championship winner

• Gigi Fernandez  68-time WTA tennis circuit champion

Distinguished guests that spoke as supporters of the school’s initiatives at the fundraising events:

• Jim Davis, United States Congressman

• Gus Bilirakis, Florida House of Representatives

• Rich Glorioso, Florida House of Representatives

Mike Bilirakis, United States Congressman, was scheduled to attend and speak, but due to a medical emergency he was unable to attend.

Accomplishments

We feel that our greatest accomplishment above all as we enter our third school year is the progress the children are making every day with our staff’s specialized instruction.  We get excited when the kids ‘use the potty’ for the first time, talk, use signs/pictures to communicate or simply just look at us and smile.

This school is the only school of its kind in Hillsborough County that serves children on the autism spectrum.  The school’s enrollment jumped from two to seven kids in less than a year with 50 families on a wait list. We get frantic calls daily from parents around the country looking for specialized instruction for their autistic children that we do not have the space or funding to serve.  For this reason we have recently moved to a new location on the campus of St. Patrick’s Church, that will allow us to continue to grow (4518 S. Manhattan, Tampa, FL 33611.  This space will allow us to enroll more autistic children into our program.

Incidentally, we recently worked with The Lowry Park Zoo School, a private licensed school servicing Pre-K -  Kindergarten children, for inclusion.  We hope to expand program initiatives like this for children at our school and in the community.  We will be adding pet therapy to our programming and would like to pilot a program with “Animals and Autism” centered on pet therapy with our specialized instruction for the children.

DeBartolo Family Foundation
Spirit of Humanity Award Recipient, 2006

Sydney’s School for Autism received the Spirit of Humanity Award this past April, 2006 out of a hundred not-for-profit applicants from the Tampa Bay area.  It is an honor for us to be recognized for this award because the DeBartolo Family Foundation has a highly regarded philanthropic presence not only in the Tampa Bay area, but around the country as well. 

Community Support

The 13 Ugly Men and Mad Dogs & Englishmen have both recently hosted events to benefit Sydney’s School for Autism and we cannot thank them enough for their continued support.  We are grateful to everyone that has taken the time to learn more about our school, attend one of our events and/or make a contribution.

Media/Press

We have been very fortunate that the media has given us constant press and continues to take an interest in our cause.  We have been featured by: Stacie Schiable of News Channel 8, Tammy Robiconti of Bay News 9, Tanya Arja from Fox 13, Anne Kelly from Radio Station 94.9 and Nancy and Mike in the Morning from Radio Station 100.7 all dedicated air time to Sydney’s School in the past eight months.  As well as articles in The Saint Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, The South Tampa Magazine, The Tampa Bay Magazine, and Tampa Bay’s Best Magazine.