OCA to open second Seminole County campus in Longwood June 3

Seminole County families will get a new local option for therapy, adult day programming and youth camps when OCA opens its second campus at 280 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd. in Longwood, beginning with a ribbon-cutting on June 3 and programs on June 8.

The nonprofit says the Longwood site is designed to serve more than 300 people when fully operational, a significant expansion for a county where parents and caregivers often juggle multiple providers to piece together care. At launch, the campus will offer adult full-day programs, youth summer camps and individual therapy. After-school programming for local students is slated to begin in August.

For adults in the program, OCA said the life-skills curriculum will focus on budgeting, meal preparation and hygiene, along with real-world practice trips to places such as the zoo or movies. That mix of classroom-style support and community outings is meant to help participants build independence while staying connected to everyday life in Seminole County.

OCA, which stands for Opportunity, Community and Ability, has long positioned itself as a place for services outside a traditional classroom setting. The organization says it serves children and adults across Central Florida and offers programming that stretches from early intervention to adult vocational training. Its expansion into Longwood gives families north of Orlando a closer option than driving to another part of the region for the same kind of support.

The nonprofit’s roots go back to a park-bench conversation in 2008, when Silvia Haas, Margaret Newman Thornton and other parents and therapists came together around a shared frustration with the lack of inclusive services for children with special needs. Over time, OCA says its programming has grown by 75 percent. Its Special Olympics soccer team, the OCA Eagles, has been invited to the USA Games four times and won gold in 2018.

The Longwood campus also follows a significant gift from Orlando Health, with Sharon Ginsberg later joining the funding support. Shawn Molsberger, senior vice president for Orlando Health’s North Region, said the partnership reflects the health system’s mission to expand access to care and close gaps in services.

OCA’s headquarters remains in Orlando near Lee Road, but the Longwood opening marks a concrete shift for Seminole County. For families seeking inclusive services closer to home, the new campus will turn a long-standing need into a local address.