Illuminate Academy: education for all learners. Illuminate Academy, Inc is a Tennessee not-for-profit.
We are an educational organization for children with Autism and other special needs. An alternative to a public or private school, we educate learners Monday-Thursday from 8:30-2:30. Our vision is to create an educational community that partners with families in achieving growth for all children.
04/08/2026
this won’t show up on a report.
but it’s the whole reason we do this🥹
a shared look.
a small win.
a kid who finally feels seen.
this is what regulate first, connect always actually looks like in real life.
not a framework on a whiteboard.
THIS.
if your neurodivergent learner has never had a place that gets them, come see ours.
Meet and Greet, April 16th.
Link in bio!
04/06/2026
Don’t swipe! Listen to this!
A family in our community just did something extraordinary✨
They committed to matching every single dollar donated to Swing Wide, up to $30,000!
That means every dollar you give right now goes twice as far toward a playground built for our kids.
What a dream!
Built for regulation. Made for joy.
Let’s go!
We’ve been sitting on this for a while.
Twelve years building the right space inside these walls. And we finally made the decision; this campus is home.
So now we build like it.
This is Swing Wide. A 30-day campaign to raise $60,000 for a playground built specifically for our kids. Seven zones designed for the way neurodivergent children actually move, regulate, and connect.
Every family that raises $1,000 gets their name on the fence. Permanently.
Start a team, donate directly, or simply share this video. Any of it moves us closer to June 5th.
Link in bio.
Built for regulation. Made for joy. 🌱
03/25/2026
It’s here🛝
We are officially launching Swing Wide, a 30-day community fundraiser to build a brand new sensory-friendly playground for our learners at Illuminate Academy.
Built for regulation. Made for joy.
7 sensory zones designed for how our kids actually move, feel, and grow.
Fundraising opens April 1st.
Playground Reveal: June 5th. 🎀
Full details dropping this week.
Drop a 🛝 in the comments if your child would live on this playground. We already know the answer😂💚
03/23/2026
Mark your calendar!
March 25th something BIG is dropping for the IA community!
And April 1st is when the real fun begins.
This is NOT an April Fools joke🙅
Something is coming for our learners and we cannot wait to share it with you!
Stay close👀💚💙
03/21/2026
Something is coming to Illuminate Academy👀
And our learners are going to absolutely love it.
Kelly
and Jacquelene
did NOT spend spring break relaxing... 😂
But instead started the action steps for a long time dream!
Stay tuned🌿
03/19/2026
Yesterday we opened our doors.
Families walked in.
Families didn’t want to leave.
And this is why👇
When a learner feels safe…
When they’re regulated…
When the environment was built FOR them…
This happens📖
No prompting. No hand over hand. No compliance.
Just a kid completely in it.
This is what we get to see every single day at Illuminate Academy🌱
If your neurodivergent learner has never had a place that feels like this…
We’d love to be that place.
Slide into our DMs. We’d love to connect💚
03/11/2026
Most classrooms start with the lesson.
we start here first 👇
safety. regulation. communication.
THEN skills happen.
This is The IA Way. And it changes everything for neurodivergent learners.
want to see it in person?
Meet & Greet —> March 17 🗓️
link in bio to grab your spot 👆
If you want: Joyful learning. Engagement. Self-regulation. Mutual regulation.
You have to start here first⬇️
This is what it looks like when a school is built around the learner, not the other way around.
Our music therapist. Our staff. Our ball pit. Our kids.
The proof is in the pudding…
Connection Fuels Growth🌱
Come see it in person at our next
Meet & Greet: March 17
Link in bio to save your spot; see you there!
11/13/2025
Some of the most powerful lessons don’t happen in the classroom.
They happen on the playground.
Today, two of our learners took turns pushing each other on the swing.
Back and forth. Laughing. Waiting. Supporting.
It was simple—but it was magic.
For our learners, growth often begins in these small, connected moments—where patience, trust, and joy meet.
When connection comes first, confidence and communication naturally follow.
At Illuminate Academy, we create spaces where those moments can bloom—because learning isn’t just academic. It’s human. 💛
Learn more about how connection shapes everything we do.
10/16/2025
The best learning doesn’t come from a lesson plan: it comes from feeling safe enough to grow🌱
10/16/2025
When they feel safe, they lean in. That’s when you see the doors to connection open💛
