Digging In
The best recipe for special-needs programming
By Katie Frey
Photos: Village of Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department
Eight children walk into a room after working off excess energy in the sensbory garden and begin to wash their hands before preparing for the week’s recipe—loaded baked potatoes with vegetables—something they’ve never tried before. Each child is responsible for contributing to the recipe, whether pouring in an ingredient or taking a turn to mix. While the food cooks, they sit down and talk about the importance of vegetables—colors, vitamins, nutritional values for the body—and how the leftovers from tonight’s recipes will be used for tomorrow’s soup or composting. The food is finally ready, but only two kids decide to try it; the rest share their success with their parents.
This may seem like any ordinary cooking class, but this one is different; for the first time, the Ridgewood Parks & Recreation Department in New Jersey is hosting a program for children with special needs. Pairing with local tenants, HealthBarn USA, the life-skills program was created to teach these children the importance of hygiene, nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, and sustainability, while giving the children a chance to learn independence through cooking. The program has expanded to accommodate young adults (ages 17 to 23 years).
The educational profession as a whole is constantly looking to add STEM programs, Mommy and me classes, aerobics, and day trips for children, adults, and senior residents, but the special-needs community is greatly underserved. Many have adapted programs at one time or another, but how often are programs designed specifically for these kids? I have been lucky enough to work at two agencies that have offered programming for special-needs children, and for someone who does not have an educational background in special education or therapeutic recreation, it has been a challenge, but a rewarding one. So how does one plan for something he or she knows little about?
Do Your Homework
Reach out to the community and surrounding areas to determine the needs and wants of this demographic. Since few towns offer programming, parents will travel to yours if their child can receive a memorable experience.
Contact local schools, teachers, therapeutic recreation professionals, and other specialized programs.
Attend classes, webinars, and trainings. Not all of them will be helpful, but educating yourself about handicaps, behaviors, techniques, and other variables will help you plan.
Planning
Set parameters. Smaller classes are easier to handle, so one-on-one learning and reasonable student-to-instructor ratios should be better. This helps control the class and make sure every child is receiving the help he or she needs.
Have a detailed plan. Many times, staff members go into a program with an idea of what they are doing for the day (i.e., do yoga, then clean up, present the recipe, then move on to the lesson), but instructors need to take this a step further. Schedule the class to the minute so there isn’t downtime to lose focus or wasted time wrangling everyone back in. It is also important to have additional plans in case a lesson takes less time than expected.
Take handicaps and disabilities into consideration, and alter the lesson so each child may participate.
Expect the unexpected. Be flexible. Know that behaviors, attitudes, and emotions vary; take it all in stride.
Educate staff members and/or find the right staff. Teachers, education majors, and therapists are all great places to begin.
Inform the audience. Market these programs to let parents know how you will be able to provide for their child.
Support
Get volunteers. Even after setting and meeting staff ratios, it is always helpful to have extra hands on deck. High-school students looking for volunteer hours or hoping to apply for a job is a great place to start. Many times, these volunteers have already worked with special-needs children, or they know someone who is special needs and wants to give back.
Funding. Look for grants and sponsors. Special-needs education is a passion of many. They have the same goals as you—to provide children with the education and play they deserve.
Parents. The parents of special-needs children are champions; they know their children better than anyone else and will fight to get them the best of everything. Some parents will stay and volunteer and bring their other children to help as well. Not all parents will volunteer, so don’t try to force them; it may be they are trying to teach their children more independence or to socialize with their peers. These parents can be just as supportive, just in different ways. They will give feedback on what is working or not working, they will have resources for you to use, and they will be your loudest megaphones getting the word out about your program.
Failure And Success
First, know that certain aspects of a program will fail, but it will only help make the program better.
Never stop learning. The minute you think you know what you’re doing and that the program is successful, something will come along and turn everything upside down. There is always a new technique or learning method being introduced that can assist your program or participants.
Know that every child is different. Down syndrome, autism, or delayed development, these children can have the same diagnosis but are affected differently. Some children will have sensory issues and may not want to touch the food; some may be non-verbal and won’t participate in a discussion; some may have behavioral issues. It is important to get to know these kids, talk to their parents, and be open in trying new things. What you had planned in week one may be a disaster, but make the adjustments and week three may be smooth sailing.
Don’t become frustrated. Take a step back, look at what’s not working, and re-evaluate it. Ask parents for help, touch base with a professional, ask the child what is needed, and then take the steps to correct it.
Conduct parent surveys. We issue surveys at the mid-point and at the end of our program to see where we were weak. After the session, we address these items and try to make changes when possible. It is a great resource to have for comparison, especially when the same children are attending the programs time after time.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are doing your best to provide programming to an underserved demographic. You are not expected to be a professional, but you should feel comfortable getting the answers you need from them; after all, we all have the same endgoal—for participants to have fun and learn.
As with any program, it’s not for everyone. Don’t take it personally if you lose participants during the session or they don’t sign up. It may be that what you’re offering isn’t what they are looking for. Keep trying. For every class that only yields two registrations, there is one that will be popular with everyone. It’s just a matter of finding the right one.
The idea of creating special-needs programming scared me the first time I had to do it. It was still frightening the second and third time, and I still worry when I start something new because I am not a certified special-education professional, but I know kids and I know people and I want them all to have fun and enjoy themselves in our parks and programs. At the end of the day, that’s all we want as recreation professionals. So, plan a program, get to know these kids, and most importantly—have fun doing it.
Katie Frey, CPRP, CPO, is the Recreation Supervisor for the Village of Ridgewood Parks & Recreation in Ridgewood, N.J. Reach her at kfrey@ridgewoodnj.net.