About us
A Word From The Founder
Exceptional Child Academy LLc is a homeschool option of my experiences running my award-winning preschools and educational programs.
Exceptional Child Academy LLC’s History of Education
Exceptional Child Academy LLC is early childhood education at its finest, created with over 25 years in the early education field and vast knowledge of early childhood education and development. Our journey has been long, from teaching early intervention on the state level, providing state nutrition services to prenatal/postnatal mothers and children, to creating in-person parent/child participation programs to building award-winning in-person preschools and developing a revolutionary activity-based early learning academy. We know education because it’s all we have done! A lifetime of education and real-world experiences have been incorporated into the services we offer families.
Exceptional Child academy LLC was founded in 2015 when Ashley Wilkins Tanner, MS.Ed opened her first physical location in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In 2019, She opened her second location in Boiling Springs, SC.
Ashley Wilkins, MS.Ed is the Founder/Director of Exceptional Child Academy LLC and CEOof ADW consulting & Co LLC. She is an educator, administrator, entrepreneur, and an Early Childhood Education/ business consultant. Ashley holds a Master’s of Science Degree from Walden University in Early Childhood Education, specializing in Administration,Management, and Leadership. A Bachelor’s Degree from Winthrop University in F.A.C.S., specializing in Early Intervention. She is currently a Doctoral Student earning her Doctorate in Education.
She has over 25 years of experience in early childhood education, Administration, nutrition, human resources, and business management. Ashley has worked with Miracle Hill, the Greenville County school district, the Governor’s office of Continuum care, non-profit organizations, and large childcare corporations. She provided Family Support services, behavioral modification services, nutrition courses, parenting courses,consulting, educational support, early intervention, and job training. Ashley’s driving force behind creating Exceptional Child Academy LLC began during her
undergraduate studies at Winthrop University serving underprivileged children in a daycare environment and interning at a Private learning academy for affluent families at the same time. She saw the disparities between the curriculum and experiences in these two schools. The inequality in the needs of children from lower socioeconomic levels compared to children from affluent families simply because their parents afford quality programming.
This is how Exceptional Child Academy LLC was birthed. She was determined to provide a quality childcare experience and curriculum instruction to all children regardless of their socioeconomic level. Through E.C.A. LLC, Ashley has been able to provide quality curriculum instruction, a full arts program, literacy program, Mandarin Chinese as a second language, African studies program, college internships, scholarships, and jobs opportunities.
Ashley has made it her life’s work to reach back into her community and implement a positive change for the children of this city. Through her passion of education and community works, she has received multiple recognitions and awards. Ashley is a 2006 Miss Black and Gold for
Winthrop University, and a 2007 Miss Black and Gold South Carolina. She is the recipient of the Sparkle City History Maker award given by the city of Spartanburg’s Minority business development, a 2011 Graduate the Herald-Journal’s Focus on Leadership program, a recipient of the Sparkle City History Maker award, a 2019 recipient of the Spartanburg/Greenville community leader award by ACHI Magazine, a 2020-2021 small business award recipient for the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, and a recent recipient of the Woman Owned Business Of The Year award presented by the Greenville Chamber Of Commerce.
Exceptional Child Acadaemy LLC Online Is Born
Ashley wanted to find a way to bring a quality preschool education and experience to families outside of their in-person preschools and into families’ homes. So in 2024, ECA opened a revolutionary, accelerated activity-based early learning program unlike anything on the market.
ECA’s curriculum is teacher-led and based on the same curriculum used in the award-winning, Exceptional Child Academy in-person preschools, with plenty of hands-on activities and social interaction. In addition, special age-appropriate curriculum boxes were created and filled with all the items families would need. These boxes are included in the enrollment cost and shipped to their home.
Parents across the country have experienced their children learning and thriving in ECA’ s classes.