Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) is pleased to announce a $75,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities to expand one of the organization’s key programs: SARRC’s Community School.
The Community School's first campus opened is 2005, and serves as an inclusive preschool where children with autism learn alongside their typically developing peers. SARRC currently has two campuses in Phoenix and Tempe, and are home to a total of seven classrooms and approximately 115 students.
Funding will support the development of a third, inclusive preschool campus, which is slated to open in 2019.
“We’re grateful for this generous funding that will allow us to serve more children with autism and their typically developing peers," says SARRC’s President and CEO Daniel Openden.
Recognized for its programmatic model based in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the Community School’s inclusive and innovative model supports students with ASD to better develop vital communication and social skills. Typically developing students benefit from inclusive instruction, accelerating their language, academic skills, as well as their compassion for accepting differences among their peers.
For more information about SARRC’s Community School, including enrollment and classroom availability, please call 602.340.8717 ext. 1090 or visit autismcenter.org/CommunitySchool.
About Thunderbirds Charities
Thunderbirds Charities is a non-profit organization formed in 1986 to distribute monies raised through the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament. The Thunderbirds Charities Board consists of 15 board members from varying professional backgrounds. The mission of Thunderbirds Charities is to assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in our communities. The organization’s giving is directed toward organizations based or with a significant presence in Arizona.