Summer Care for SN children

[ArizonaGirl]

Hi all,

I know that this is really early to be thinking about summer care (in November!) but I am not sure how far in advance you need to sign up and if there will be a wait list or what not for caregivers that can care for SN kiddos.

DS is in KG this year and has an Autism/ADHD diagnosis and we are struggling with what to do with him next summer. The only options I am currently aware of are the private daycare our DD attends (expensive and may not take him due to age, he went there when he was younger so I know they can manage his challenges). Kid's Club - care through the school district and Kid's Zone - care through the city. According to my BFF Kid's Zone is complete chaos with 18 and 19 year old kids responsible for 20 to 30 little one's, it is loud, and very unstructured. DS will NOT do well in this environment.

Are there any other options I am unaware of?

Tell me about the cost because we are stretched pretty thin and can't really afford anything very expensive...

[JustMe]

I hope I can still be helpful, as I think this definitely varies by where you live. I am thinking there probably are other options available to you so here's what I'd do in your shoes

1) Ask anyone local you can think of. Even if they have typically developing kids only, they may still know. Parents of kids with special needs would be ideal to talk too of course. Remember that even if there kids are older, they were younger once!
2) Do you have any local (either on-line or in person) groups for parents of kids with autism or any similar special needs? If so, contact those groups and ask. Contact any local organizations related to kids with special needs.
3) Do a search for summer day camps, contact any that look good, and ask them how/if they work with children with special needs.
4)I don't know if your city has camps, but in our case it does and they are excellent. They also have adaptive grants and do great work working with children with various special needs within regular camp settings...so that's just one place to start.

Good luck!

[annex]

Does he have an IEP, with adult support in the services section? In our school district, if you sign up for the summer programs run by the district (camps, etc.), and let them know your child has an IEP, they review it with the special ed office, and may assign an aide funded by the district to support your child. They might also offer an extended school year program he would qualify for, if his current team collects data on regression after winter/spring breaks to show he would not do well over a long break without some school program/services provided by a teacher or therapists in place.

[StantonHyde]

The psych hospital where I work runs a summer day camp for kids on the spectrum. They usually sign up in March. It is quite excellent and reasonably priced. Do you have any treatment centers or hospitals near you that run day treatment or partial hospitalization programs? They might run day camps.

[Gena]

DS attends summer childcare at a therapeutic/rehabilitation center. The center offers a variety of services for adults and children with disabilities, including childcare, adult daycare, job skills training, and therapy (speech, OT, PT).

The childcare program varies each year, depending on the needs and interests of the children enrolled. They get a copy of each child's IEP and use those to help plan the summer activities. Enrollment begins March 1 and fills up fast. It's more expensive than non-special needs childcare, but because the center is a non-profit organization, it's not still pretty reasonable.

[daniele_ut]

The psych hospital where I work runs a summer day camp for kids on the spectrum. They usually sign up in March. It is quite excellent and reasonably priced. Do you have any treatment centers or hospitals near you that run day treatment or partial hospitalization programs? They might run day camps.

Thanks for the heads up on that Rebecca! DS is obviously way too young for this right now, but I'm filing this information away in the back of my head. Do you know if there is anything similar in UT county by chance? We might be moving down there in a year or so.

[StantonHyde]

Thanks for the heads up on that Rebecca! DS is obviously way too young for this right now, but I'm filing this information away in the back of my head. Do you know if there is anything similar in UT county by chance? We might be moving down there in a year or so.

Danielle--I just PMed you