A.C.E. Charter School

A.C.E. Charter School, established in 2000, is a pre-kindergarten program for children ages three to five who are experiencing speech, language, and/or hearing challenges. Our Charter School is located in a classroom on the campus of the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center. Our Pre-K is the first and only class co-taught by a full-time team consisting of a highly qualified teacher, a Speech/Language Pathologist with a Master’s Degree, and two paraprofessionals. The teaching team designs lessons utilizing High Scope and Storybook-Based Curriculum to maximize opportunities to practice newly learned concepts and communication skills. Each student’s specific developmental needs are continually addressed by monitoring progress toward the achievement of individual goals. The teaching team promotes carryover of newly learned skills by establishing a partnership with parents to enhance interaction outside of the classroom. The class size is limited in order to maintain a low student-to-staff ratio.

Our Experience 

Since 1988, the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center has worked in cooperation with the Polk County School Board to provide Exceptional Student Education for pre-school children. This partnership allows our on-site speech language pathologists to address development of speech and language skills during the course of the student’s daily classroom routine. A.C.E. Charter School provides a unique learning environment for children with speech/language and/or hearing problems that will allow them to achieve academic excellence.

The A.C.E. Charter School is nationally accredited by the SACS/CASI (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools).  

A.C.E. Charter School Staff

• L. Gay Ratcliff, Principal
• Erin Cliburn,A.C.E. Preschool Teacher
• Terri Pitts, A.C.E. Paraprofessional
• Ayesha Rogers, A.C.E. Paraprofessional

A.C.E.Charter School Board of Directors

• Karen Greeson, Chair
• Sandra L. Hightower, Ph.D.
• Alice Hunt
• Kathy Rubo
• Joe L. Ruthven
• Richard Schuler
• David Steele

MISSION:
Our mission is to empower all students to reach their fullest communication potential through a quality, child-focused and language-rich environment.

VISION:
To provide a premier academic and communication environment that will result in enriching the community with students prepared to succeed in life.

CORE BELIEFS:

• Developing language skills as the core to enhancing all academic and communication skills
• Supporting our students’ desire to be lifelong learners
• Fostering our school community to ensure a safe, secure, and positive learning environment
• Partnering with parents, students, and the community to recognize the vital role each plays in realizing our vision
• Functioning as a team with parents, students, and other professional partners to improve the quality of life for students and their families
• Incorporating creativity, diversity, and innovation into our classroom