Exceptional Academy for Differently-Abled Learners, a Port St. Lucie based 501(c)3 non-profit private school that specializes in serving children with Autism and Related Disabilities, is expanding. The owners of Exceptional Academy, Kristine Erice and her husband Matt Saxton, are partnering with Jeremiah Baron, who is a Real Estate developer and is well known on the Treasure Coast for his Commercial and Residential Real Estate brokerages, to take the school to the next level. The school will be moving to a larger facility that will be able to serve up to 80 children with Autism and related disabilities in grades K-8. The new facility will be called Baron Academy and will be located in St. Lucie West at 8565 Commerce Centre Dr. Baron Academy is scheduled to open for the Fall 2021 school year.
There is a tremendous need on the Treasure Coast for more private schools that are specifically dedicated to teaching children with Autism in a way that they need to learn.
Kristine Erice, Founder and Director of Exceptional Academy For Differently-Abled Learners, opened her specialized private school for kids with Autism in January 2020 out of frustration in the lack of choices in the area for her Autistic son. Exceptional Academy quickly had a waitlist as soon as they opened their doors after welcoming 15 enrolled students into their school.
The school had plans for fundraising events last March to help fund an expansion, but COVID crushed their fundraising efforts until the unforeseeable future. Kristine’s chance meeting with Jeremiah Baron, a fellow parent of two Autistic children, turned into a partnership and will allow their current school to grow and be able to serve 4 times the amount of students than she currently has at her smaller location. The new school, Baron Academy, is currently enrolling for grades K-8 for the 2021-2022 school year. The school is also planning a Benefit Concert with live music on Sunday, May 23rd from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Baron Real Estate Ballroom located at 8555 Commerce Centre Dr. in Port St. Lucie. Tickets for the Benefit Concert are $20 per person and will be sold at the door the day of the event. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards the school’s outdoor playground project.
Please visit the school’s website at www.exceptionalacademypsl.com for more information and contact Kristine Erice at kerice@exceptionalacademypsl.com to schedule a school tour.
