Huntersville Education Village
The Need:
Aspire Carolinas Foundation’s current project is to create an education village for children with Asperger’s/autism spectrum disorders and/or learning differences located in Northern Mecklenburg County where many resources can be shared among the schools on the campus. Parents of children with special needs in Northern Mecklenburg county currently face a long school commute into Charlotte if they want to access one of the city’s independent special needs schools. By founding schools close to home, families and their children will reduce their commuting time for school and be able to create stronger ties to others in their home community.
The rapidly growing population of our area has also increased the need for additional independent schools. Charlotte, located in Mecklenburg County, has 1,000,000 residents making it North Carolina’s most populated county. Between 2005 and 2015, the metropolitan region’s population growth rate averaged 2.6 percent. As Charlotte continues to be a thriving economic center of the state we anticipate continued growth to our area.
We estimate* there are currently 910 children with autism and 6,195 with learning differences in the Northern Mecklenburg area that would be within reach to attend our regional school. For those children struggling in public schools or currently being homeschooled our new school will provide an environment that is built specifically to meet their educational needs.
At Aspire Carolinas Foundation, we feel strongly about preparing these students for post-secondary career options that may or may not include a college degree. We envision a village that also hosts a High School trade school that allows students to explore career options and apprenticeships that would match them to full-time careers with area businesses and corporations. Through this trade school students would have options that are currently not available but highly desired by families, corporations and community partners.
*Autism population rate of 1.4% and Learning Differences rate of 10% population. Student population rate extrapolated from current enrollment at Northern Mecklenburg CMS schools.
The Big Picture:
For those children struggling in public schools or currently being homeschooled our new schools will provide an environment that is built specifically to meet their educational needs. These students will be able to thrive academically and socially because the teaching methodology, curriculum, and therapeutic services supports will all be customized to help them reach their true academic potential in their home community. By adding a High School trade/vocational school we will have additional options for all students including our unique learners. This multi-million-dollar endeavor will require the support of our community to secure land and build facilities to create the education village at Huntersville.
We Need Your Support
The education village at Huntersville will bring unique elements together to strengthen North Mecklenburg and the surrounding communities. By placing the first charter trade High School in North Carolina and schools for children with learning differences and autism/Asperger’s on the same campus we can maximize impact while being cost effective in sharing resources and physical space. To create this unique village of multiple schools serving unserved and underserved students, as well as, a much-needed vocational High School, offering competitive career options for all of our children, we need the support and financial resources of the North Mecklenburg community and surrounding region. With your support we can give every student a viable career path and every business and corporation a pipeline of skilled and prepared workers for the future. With your help we can make our communities stronger.