A Center of Gravity for Special Needs

Aug. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- “Everyone deserves a place of belonging and community,” said Mindy Cohen, Director of Special Needs Services at the Jewish Community Center on the Hudson in Tarrytown, welcoming all.  “We hope to build a community families will gravitate to for guidance, education and recreation.”

The JCC offers an array of inclusive and self-contained programs for children, teens and adults with special needs, as well as counseling and support for their families.  Each program’s participants have the opportunity to network, develop life and self-advocacy skills, and share coping strategies for the daily challenges they face at school, home and in the wider community.

For instance, Super Sunday is a weekly program for 5-12 year olds, aimed at helping children navigate the social world successfully.  Group participants learn and practice socialization skills, and have the opportunity to create friendship groups with their peers.  By encouraging the children to make independent choices that work for their special needs, this program tends to be a great booster of confidence. Sunday in the Neighborhood, for  13-16 year olds, is the next logical step after Super Sunday.  In this program, which meets at a simulated model apartment in Tarrytown, teens not only socialize, but learn life skills in a normative environment.  They shop, budget, market and cook together; learn laundry and housekeeping skills; venture into the local town, and  enjoy gaming and other appropriate activities.

In addition to these programs, the JCC offers Almost Home Plus, afterschool daycare for children( K-6^th grade) with an IEP, 504, or other behavioral and developmental differences, and a school break trip program, SKIP: Special Kids Interesting Places (K-6^th grade).  There is also a Saturday Night Out program for tweens 10-15.

Because a  family member with a disability impacts the whole family, Sibs Connect (for ages 5 and up) is a safe place for children whose siblings have special needs to share their unique concerns with each other.  This program runs concurrently with the Super Sunday programming.

Keeping It Real in the Neighborhood (KIRTN), a free program  for high school students and beyond, is also based at the Tarrytown simulated model apartment.  A joint program of the JCC and the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns, KIRTN offers multiple afterschool and weekend offerings, such as a Young Men’s group and weekly drop-in programs.   Afterschool hours are available to Tarrytown residents and the wider Westchester community, bringing together people who otherwise would not have a place to gather, socialize, recreate and learn.

“KIRTN and the JCC make a real commitment to preparing our folks with special needs for the adult world,” said Cohen.  “We invite those over 18 to continue socializing with us through Connections.”  Connections plans social outings and activities, from visits to Rye Playland to bowling and dinner, to house parties at the Tarrytown simulated apartment.

Many of the JCC’s special needs programs are funded in part by the Hudson Valley Office for People with Developmental Disabilities,  the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, and grants from the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation, Kids Club and the Westchester Community Foundation.

For further information on any of the programs listed, contact Mindy Cohen at the JCC at (914) 366-7898 or visit http://www.JCConthehudson.org.