Camp Hope was an answer to prayers! Our little guy had so much fun and was finally happy going to camp. He was so excited every morning and he loves all his teachers. Weve decided since he is thriving there that were entering him into Discovery School for the school year.

I am looking into the day camp here for my son this summer. He has a speech delay and I want him in an educational facility. The program manager is fantastic. He explained everything and showed me around. My son seemed to be very comfortable there. I look forward to seeing how things turn out.

Horrible place for any child with a mental or physical disability. The staff are under qualified and lack the proper licenses needed in order to care for kids with Asperger’s, Autism, etc.My advise, stay away from Hope Have. The empoyment team is a joke. Jane Ward yelled at my son. The management is money honey and they should not be allowed to provide services for individuals with disabilities.

I wish I could give 0 stars. I had an advocate here who said to contact her by email. I have and no response. I called today and whoever I spoke said the advocate was gone for months and seemed like she didnt care. I would have appreciated a call or email saying she no longer worked there and a call from the people taking over. Nothing at all yet they can call me back to back to make a payment. I am on the hunt for a new advocate.

We are the parents to a little girl age 5 with Down syndrome. In her short life, she has lived in 3 different states. Moving around is stressful enough but moving with a special needs child and finding the support and resources you need can be overwhelming. One of the things Im also very sensitive to when my child is being evaluated for school or therapies or services, is what is the agenda/motivation of the evaluator? Schools have limited resources so they are trying to limit services, paid therapists want as many hours as possible for billing insurance. When we moved to Florida, the only dedicated place, with expertise in Down syndrome, was repeatedly told to us to be Hope Haven. We made our appointment. The evaluation was a reasonable price and I walked away knowing I had an honest assessment of where our little girl was at educationally and developmentally. On top of that, the staff was truly caring and competent. I cant tell you how good it feels to know every time I have a question I can come back to them and get some sound advice and direction. Their guidance has been spot on accurate! I admit that sometimes what is told to us parents isnt easy to hear, but when you know its coming from someone like Hope Haven, you can take to heart that they have a plan to help.

I had my daughter enrolled in Hope Haven for two years and had a completely wonderful experience. We had known Ms. George the director of the school before because she had taught my daughter in the public school system. I was familiar with her complete passion and dedication for children with special needs. She has made advocacy for these children her life’s work and it is evident for anyone who has seen her interact with her “loved” ones. Ms. George also showed support to students outside of work, from visiting them in hospitals if her students were ill to participating in their special events. She has used her experience and love for these children as the foundation to build a wonderful school program. It showed in her teachers who had great patience and love for their work. My daughter thrived there because of this. She also taught me a great deal as a parent. My daughter still talks about her experience at the school with a big smile. I attribute Hope Haven for the progression my daughter has made.

Hope Haven is a great asset for information, guidance and services for those with special need children. It offers a school that was a great fit for our son when he/we needed it most. I would encourage anyone to visit and take tour. Terry is a tremendous resource of knowledge and the staff truly cares about the children. It is apparent from entering the front door that all believe in their mission to ensure that children and families realize their full potential by providing specialized services and individualized educational opportunities.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE, IF YOU CARE FOR YOUR KIDS!!!THIS PLACE HAS GONE DOWNHILL FAST IN THE PAST 2 YEARS. THEY HAVE THE MOST INCOMPETENT LEADERSHIP I HAVE EVER SEEN. I HAD TO PULL MY CHILD OUT OF THIS PLACE DUE TO THEIR NEGLIGENCE. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT A CHILD HAD MADE ITS AWAY OFF THE CAMPUS ONTO BEACH BLVD DUE TO NO ONE WATCHING THEM. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THEIR DAYCARE LICENSE IS CONSTANTLY IN JEOPARDY. HORRIBLE AND UNPROFESSIONAL LADY WHO MANAGES THE SCHOOL. SIMPLY THE WORST PLACE IN DUVAL COUNTY

Hope Haven really cares about the kids. I really enjoy the conversation group. Everyone is so friendly and its very sanitary.

Love this place. Went here during a child custody dispute and our case worker saw right through all the nonsense. Would recommend to anyone having issues with a person who is hard to deal with.

We used Hope Haven for both the after-school and summer camps. We heard of this facility being used as an option for those attending The Jericho School (5 stars in our book), a private school in Jacksonville specifically geared toward children on the Autism Spectrum. Hope Haven, unfortunately, was a major let down.Ill spell out our awful experience for you: We were told H/H offers behavioral services and caters to children with special needs, including those on the spectrum. So, the presentation was promising, and the assumption was that the staff would be trained to handle a child with ASD. But things went downhill quickly. The first red flag was when our 9 year old (mid-spectrum ASD) began affiliating the name Hope Haven with any upsetting or fear-triggering event. Weeks past, and he was spontaneously and repeatedly saying to us and others, “No Hope Haven.” While this was concerning, with a recent change in routine having recently occurred, we hoped our son would adjust and begin to feel differently.When I would pick him up (either during Basics, as well as this current summer program) I would receive complaints from the staff that he was giving them a hard time with elopement (running away). This is a common behavior of some children with ASD, particularly if they are seeking attention. My first inquiry was in regard to the behavioral therapy that was presented prior to enrollment. Where was the Behavioral Therapist? Were there any behavioral intervention techniques being practiced? I offered suggestions, which clearly fell on deaf ears. Weeks pass by. My sons complaints continue (in regards to H/H) as did a few new complaints over elopement from the head of staff at H/H. The tone of the conversations from H/H staff implied that I was supposed to fix the behavior. Again, where was the BT? To add to the lack of behavioral intervention being provided, the facility added a new batch of door alarms. If you know anything about children with ASD, you might know that such sounds can be sensory triggers for those who are hypersensitive.Since the facility seemed not to know how to handle my son, I provided some behavioral interventions we use at home as well as tangible incentives for my son, including a toy he loves. They said theyd try the new strategies out. Going into summertime, his anxiety to the building worsened to the point of getting upset when we pulled in. Staff had not changed their tone, either, and continued to complain that my son was eloping, without seeming to try any of the behavioral strategies or incentives suggested. And Friday afternoon, after I paid the total due for his remaining 2 weeks of camp, my wife and I both receive calls to pick up our son immediately. Was he hurt? Was he sick? No. Over a minor, laughable, non-violent behavior, he was deemed unmanageable by their facility staff members. He was, thus, ejected from the camp after we had paid for the four weeks and provided any and all help we could. To boot, the urgent call to pick him up came in the middle of a work day, causing me to have to leave work to pick him up. Weve yet been refunded.We were at that point at a loss regarding what we would do with our son for the remaining two weeks prior to his month in summer school at Jericho. We reached out to another camp immediately, and thankfully, they were able to accommodate us last minute. Theyve not had any behavioral issues with our son, and our son seems happy to go to camp rather than voicing his dislike of attending. Further, we were told by some familiar with H/H that they had heard that H/H was abusing their sensory-seclusion room for kids who were eloping (like a jail cell).Ultimately, were glad he got ejected. I cant speak for how children with other disabilities are handled, but it seems that this facility fails to create an environment that accommodates children on the Autism Spectrum. For a facility that purports to cater to all children with special needs, the staff seems ill equipped to prove it. I would not recommend this facility for any purpose.

Amazing organization!