Beacon College is launching a new program to train up more teacher's assistants, amidst a shortage of the professionals in Central Florida classrooms.
Teacher's assistants, often called teacher’s aides or paraprofessionals, are usually assigned to students with disabilities in special education and general education classrooms. They provide supplemental instruction, behavioral support and life skills training.
The latest Florida Education Association count found the state still needs 2,523 support staff in schools.
Beacon College’s Kevin Reilly says the new Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Education Studies will train up more teacher's assistants, many of whom have the lived experience of what it’s like to be in special education. That’s because Beacon College is the first accredited college in the U.S. geared toward students with disabilities and ADHD.
“A lot of our students had a lot of difficulty and challenges and even trauma educationally growing up, but there is almost always that one person that was the light for them. And many of our students want to turn around and be that light for someone else,” said Reilly.
Reilly says students in the program are also required to get certified as registered behavior technicians, who provide therapies to autistic students like Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA therapy.
“So that's a program and certification they will get as a requirement of this program, and it just gives them another certification on their portfolio to compete in the job market and do a good job when they're hired,” said Reilly.
Beacon joins the University of Central Florida, Valencia College, and Daytona State College in rolling out teacher training programs aimed at filling vacancies.
The program still needs to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, but will start offering classes in the Spring of 2026.
Check out the latest vacancy data for the state of Florida:
