Location & Development for COE

We have reached an important milestone; we are proud to announce that groundbreaking for the $30 million Els Center of Excellence will take place during 2013! The Center has been the dream of Ernie and Liezl since the creation of the Els for Autism Foundation in 2009 and it will soon become a reality. 

Work is proceeding on permitting for the Center, which will be built on 27 acres in the heart of Limestone Creek, a historic area of Jupiter in the western part of the community. Limestone Creek has long been a child-centered area of Jupiter, not only containing the town’s multi-field Jupiter Community Park, but the neighborhood is also home to  Limestone Creek Elementary School and the Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center, offering after-school instruction to hundreds of Jupiter’s children over the years.

The Els Center of Excellence will be the hub of education and information for families with children on the autism spectrum, a group of developmental disabilities that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said affects 1 in 88 children in the United States, including 1 in 54 boys.  

The Center will serve the local, national and international autism communities. Locally, Palm Beach County children attending the Renaissance Learning Center and Renaissance Learning Academy will attend classes in a learning environment specifically designed to inspire creativity, focusing on each child’s unique strengths and abilities. Nationally and internationally, through the use of leading edge technology, families, researchers and educators will share and have access to best practices from experts in the field of autism.