Founded in 2003, Ford Christian Academy has a successful track record of helping children and families cross the finish line by producing young professionals in engineering, sports and entertainment, the arts and ministry.
BY KARIN DAVIS-THOMPSON | Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG — It started simply enough. Denise Ford and her husband had 10 children, and homeschooling made the most sense. Then, neighbors found out what she was doing and asked for help.
Alumna Shannon F. is a licensed massage therapist and the owner of All Hands on Deck, LLC in Baton Rouge, La.
“Their child was out of school for one reason or another, they may have gotten suspended, or they just weren’t reaching their full potential,” she said.
After some time, she reached out to the Pinellas County School District and learned that she needed to turn her home into a private school to assist children other than her own.
“They pointed me in the direction, and I got started with the paperwork,” Ford explained.
In 2003, Ford Christian Academy was born.
“I would help kids who needed it, then when the voucher program came out, people called me and asked if I would accept the voucher,” the entrepreneur said. “With the scholarship program, I also began working with children with special needs.”
She continued teaching in her home until she had more children than her house could handle, and then the church she attended at the time gave her space. Today, she can work with up to 15 children from the space she uses at Bay Point Christian Church, where she’s been since 2014.
“I am so grateful for Pastor Randall’s [Hildreth] support and spiritual covering,” Ford said.
Alumnus Skyler F. is an architect at Adamson in New York. He is the owner of Sky Studios as a freelance artist/designer.
During COVID, Ford even assisted parents as they tried to understand and navigate the curriculum and learning path they chose for their children, as everyone stayed home, but learning needed to continue.
Although the school began out of a need for her own children, who now range in age from 24-42, Ford is committed to helping students because if she can connect with them and assist them in reaching their full potential, she believes it’s what she is called to do.
“It’s important that the atmosphere is what they need so they can learn,” she shared. “They may say they hate school, but most students really love to learn. It’s about the environment.”
Today, she has two full-time students while others have come in and out depending on their needs. One student has been at the Academy since he was 8; today, he is a thriving 13-year-old.
Alumna Kelli W. graduated college with a degree in electrical engineering and pursued a professional modeling career. Kelli is a real estate agent and a property manager in Los Angeles.
Ford estimates that she works with about 25 students yearly and has helped nearly 100 since becoming a private school.
Her model is to keep the population small so she can concentrate on what each student needs and help them become self-directed learners.
Ford has even added a summer program to the Academy called SummerQuest, a reading and literacy enrichment program. Students focus on reading and literacy and then take a few field trips to experience some of the things they’ve read about. The program is currently for students in grades 6-12.
Tutoring is also a service offered, and Ford is willing to work with parents in surrounding counties to help children improve and feel confident about their ability to learn.
“I have a heart for kids and all of the dynamics that are going on in our education system, especially around literacy,” she stated. “I taught my kids how to read. I know how to do it. Kids who have low self-esteem, I know how to reach them.”
Currently, the Ford Christian Academy is private pay only; however, she plans to resume accepting vouchers sometime later this year.
To learn more, visit FordChristianAcademy.com.
