Florida

Welcome to Clarke Florida

Since 1996, Clarke Florida’s expert staff of master’s-level teachers of the deaf and speech-language pathologists have served children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families from around Florida and the Southeast region.

Clarke Florida

Serving families state-wide!

Clarke Florida is located in the historic Mandarin area of the city of Jacksonville, and offers services daily on-site, at homes and online. Clarke’s Florida location includes five acoustically-treated classrooms, therapy rooms, an interactive STEM play area, a parent-education space and an outdoor playground. Families throughout the state can also access Clarke’s expertise through our teleservices (tVISIT: teleservices Virtual Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers) Program.

Clarke Florida

Clarke Florida’s Programs and Services

Clarke Florida provides listening and spoken language programs and services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families throughout the state. These services are referred to as "auditory-oral" in Florida.

Clarke Florida’s dedicated team of hearing professionals teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and speak, as well as provides family coaching to help establish a language-rich setting within the home.

My husband and I recall our son’s first six weeks as a full-time student with Clarke. He started when he was about three-and-a-half years old after wearing hearing aids for around 12 months. Within those first six weeks, he went from communicating mostly through gestures and screaming/crying to consistently attempting spoken language. From there he took off and today at five years old we often have a hard time getting him to stop talking. Our prayers were answered. Clarke has given him the tools he needed to learn to listen and speak.

- Caregiver of a Clarke Florida student

We have a program to meet your needs...

Whether you want to maximize the early language development of your baby or find a supportive and personalized preschool class for your toddler.

Birth to Age Three Program

Clarke Florida’s staff works closely with families of infants and toddlers to support listening and spoken language learning. With home visits, tVISITs, “Caregiver and Me” and our daily, center-based Toddler-Twos group, families have a number of options for accessing family-centered intervention.

Preschool / Early Elementary Program

With low student-teacher ratios and daily individual speech therapy, Clarke Florida offers full-day, year-round preschool, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade programs. Students enjoy age-appropriate learning activities at every level enriched with the specialized intervention that targets the development of listening and spoken language skills comparable to those of their hearing peers.

tVISIT Program

Through our tVISIT (teleservices Virtual Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers) Program and additional teleservice options, families are able to connect remotely with Clarke Florida’s speech-language pathologists and teachers of the deaf, maintaining a family’s listening and spoken language education -- despite transportation constraints or living in remote and underserved areas of the state.

Support Groups

Clarke Florida’s support groups, including Parent-Infant Groups, allow families to come together, sharing their experiences and receiving support from Clarke’s expert listening and spoken language professionals.

Summer Services

Clarke Florida offers many of its services year-round, including Support Groups, Preschool / Early Elementary Program and Mainstream Services. We also offer a fun and enriching listening and spoken language summer program for children entering preschool through the first grade!

Auditory, Speech and Language Services

Children in Clarke Florida’s Preschool / Early Elementary Program have daily access to auditory, speech and language therapies. We are open after school five days a week to meet the needs of children who are attending mainstream schools as well.

Trainings & Workshops

Clarke Florida offers essential education for families and caregivers through our monthly parent-education series, “Caregiver and Me” parent-coaching and auditory-verbal therapy sessions. We also support expanding the capacity of hearing professionals who want to improve their skills in working with our students in mainstream settings. Through cooperative ventures with local universities to training and workshops for practicing professionals, Clarke is a leader in listening and spoken language.

Services for Students who Attend Mainstream Schools

Services for Mainstream Students

Our Mainstream Services at Clarke Florida serve children from preschool through high school, providing individualized speech therapy, facilitating transitions to new schools and offering families the resources they need to help their child thrive in new settings.

Speech, Language Services

Individual auditory, speech and language services are available for children in mainstream programs, giving them access to the tools they need to thrive at school. Alums can return once a year for an evaluation at no cost to families.

Transitional Planning Services

Clarke Florida offers Transitional Planning Services to help facilitate adjustment into mainstream schools, working with the student, their family and the school staff to develop appropriate goals and service delivery models for their IEPs.

Consulting Services

Our teachers of the deaf are available to provide customized strategies for success for students with hearing loss in mainstream settings. Direct service models are available at the request of individual school districts.

Admission & Enrollment

We’re here to help you make an informed decision about your child’s education and communication.

You’ve researched our programs and services, and read about children and families who have found success at Clarke. You think Clarke could be the right place for your child. What happens next? Contact the school to learn more about our programs and to arrange for a visit.

Visit Clarke

We will arrange a visit for your family so you can meet Clarke professionals, tour our facilities, visit our classrooms and learn more about our programs and services.

How students are funded

Students at Clarke are typically placed here and funded in partnership with their hometown school districts. We will work with your child’s IEP team to determine placement and service decisions.

Clarke admits children who are deaf, hard of hearing and hearing, and provides services to our families regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.

A high-quality, specialized education is within reach.

Visit Clarke Florida

Meet our expert staff and see our dynamic classrooms in action!

Interested families are invited to tour our Clarke Florida site, where you will meet Clarke professionals, see our acoustically-optimized space and learn more about our programs and services.

To arrange a tour, contact us at florida@clarkeschools.org or 904.880.9001.

For Current Families

Quick Access to the Resources You Need

Check here for weather-related closing information.

Calendars

Summer 2021 School Calendar

2021-22 School Calendar

Forms, Policies, Handbooks

2020-2021 Caregiver/Student Handbook

Summer 2021 School Calendar

2021-2022 School Calendar

Absence Note

Policies and Procedures for Reporting Alleged Professional Misconduct

Standards of Ethical Conduct

Classroom Blog

Some Clarke sites offer a private, password-protected blog for parents of Clarke students, featuring photos, information about classroom lessons and more. Current parents will be offered access to the blog at enrollment. For questions, contact your site directly.

Talking About Florida Newsletter

“Talking About Florida” is a quarterly newsletter that serves as a resource for families and professionals. The newsletter is made possible through the Bureau of Exceptional Student Education and Student Services (BEESS) Discretionary Project Auditory-Oral Education Grant. Have an event or resource to share? Email florida@clarkeschools.org.

Past issues:

Read the Most Recent Issue

Clarke Connection Newsletter

Published bi-monthly, Clarke Connection keeps our community informed and connected with all things Clarke.

Read Clarke Connection

Contact Clarke Florida

9803 Old St. Augustine Road, Suite 7, Jacksonville, FL 32257

Voice/TTY: 904.880.9001

Fax: 904.880.9007

Email: florida@clarkeschools.org

Melanie Jensen, Development Associate
Email: mjensen@clarkeschools.org

Directions from North or South of Jacksonville:

Take Interstate 95, from north to south, to interstate 295, which is approximately 9 miles south of the Jacksonville center. Take I-295 North (Toward Orange Park) to the first exit, No. 3, (approximately 1 mile) which is Old St. Augustine Road. At the Exit Ramp turn to the right and go north on Old St. Augustine Road. Continue on Old St. Augustine for approximately 2 miles, passing through four traffic lights. Clarke is located on the east side just past Crown Point Road. We are located in the one-story, white, stucco building (The Doctors Center). Our office is Suite 8.

Directions from Western Florida:

Take Interstate 10 East until it terminates into Interstate 95. Take I-95 South approximately 9 miles to Interstate 295. Take I-295 north and follow the instructions above.