For five decades, the Elaine Clark Center has supported children with special needs and their families by providing an innovative model of education and therapeutic play. During the mid 1960s, Sister Robert Therese of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Atlanta began tutoring young children with developmental disabilities who were unable to attend traditional school. In 1969, she incorporated the Elaine Clark Center, which was named in honor of one of her profoundly deaf students whom she taught to read and communicate, but was tragically killed at 7 years old in a vehicle accident. Since 1994, children who are typically developing have been admitted to the Elaine Clark Center to promote inclusion and act as role models for children with special needs. These children also learn valuable lessons about sensitivity and acceptance while experiencing superior child care from degreed teachers. During the summer of 2009, Heart of Hope Academy, an accredited nonprofit education program that serves children with developmental challenges between the ages of five and twenty-two, merged with the Elaine Clark Center. Heart of Hope Academy first opened its doors in 2003 as an educational alternative to the otherwise limited options facing families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental delays. Following the vision of Heart of Hope Academy's founder, Angela Matthiessen, the program is tailored specifically to the needs of children with mild to severe developmental disabilities through a combination of academic and functional learning. This unification between the Elaine Clark Center and Heart of Hope Academy fulfilled the visions of both organizations to become a stronger resource for families through comprehensive care for individuals with special needs in all stages of childhood growth.
