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Group offerings run for 8 weeks. Payment in full due at registration. A $25-50 registration fee (depends on the group) covers materials and extra cost of COVID cleaning protocols. All group fees are non-refundable, as class sizes are dependent upon sign ups. Current COVID protocols from CDC/State of Illinois will be followed during classes. *As of 1/30/23: masks are not required.
Led by pediatric occupational therapist Mackenzie and developmental therapist/PLAY Project consultant Brenna, who will assist with peer-to-peer socialization while your child is regulated.
The goal of this 8-week group is to provide sensory experiences for 3 - 5 year olds that meet children where they are at developmentally, while providing social opportunities with peers. This group is facilitated by two experienced therapists who are well versed in regulation and helping children feel comfortable engaging with others! Each week we explore a different sense to encourage learning and development. Personalized feedback and materials will be provided for the family so carryover can take place at home, school, and in other group/social settings.
COST: $42/week = $350/session + Materials/Cleaning fee $50. Payment below holds your spot in group. Each group is limited to 5 participants.
OPTIONAL: Therapists leading the group will create a Summary Report with recommendations for home/classroom/daycare if desired. This is a 2-page summary of helpful sensory supports to assist your child with participating in activities, to share as you wish. This option comes with a 30 minute meeting to review the report and ask any questions as well. OPTIONAL COST: $100 for this service.
SPRING SESSION DETAILS COMING SOON!
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Are you concerned about your child adjusting to the preschool structure and routine? Has your child not had much exposure to more structured groups and unfamiliar peers? Do you have concerns about their speech & language skills, especially engaging with other children? Could your child benefit from an expansion of their play skills? This group is run by a Developmental Therapist & Speech-Language Pathologist and will offer your child the opportunity to practice a wide variety of developmental skills with support and the most important ingredient.....FUN! General skills to be worked on: Circle time skills: sitting for circle, paying attention to teacher while teachers talking, raising their hand Play skills: taking turns, sharing, involving peers in play, pretend play expansion, Transitional skills: following a visual schedule, following directions
Communication Skills: increasing vocabulary, scripting Assessment materials will be utilized to determine developmental strengths and differences, allowing goals to be created and the ability to measure and show progress. This program will emphasize foundational developmental skills needed for classroom readiness, and will provide a structured guideline to assess progress in a variety of skills including: *Joint Attention and Social Referencing *Sensory Processing and Self Regulation *Play, especially pretend play *Early Language Development Parents will be given initial assessment results and specific program goals for their child approximately one month after beginning the group. A written Progress Summary will accompany parent conferences at the end of the semester. Which children are the best fit for this group? Children who are the best fit for this group are interested in watching people around them. They can attend to play tasks for 2-3 minutes at a time, and are interested in some basic pretend play such as feeding a baby doll or taking care of a stuffed animal. Children with language delays/disorders are a perfect fit for this group. This program is appropriate for children with and without identified developmental delays, and primarily addresses concerns for communication in an academic-focused setting. Children with significant sensory differences and/or those who have shown aggression towards others should consider the Sensory Explorers program first to get insight on sensory & regulation needs, which are imperative for learning. Some children will need the foundational skills provided in our Sensory Explorers group in order to be ready to participate in Little Learners.If you have further questions regarding whether this group is a good fit, please email our office! [email protected]
This developmental playgroup is intended to be a semester-long commitment with monthly payment.
Spring Semester: January 1- May 31.
COST: $125/month + one-time semester registration/cleaning fee $25 = $150/September Payment.
February/March/April/May Payment = $125/month.
Weeks of 2/22, 3/28 and 5/23 Little Learners sessions with children will be cancelled, and time will be used to complete Parent Conferences & write Summary Reports for families. Payment for January holds your spot in the group for the Semester; priority will be given to families in the current semester when enrolling in future semesters.
Group MEETS:
Thursdays 10:30-12:00 with Speech Pathologist Casey and Developmental Therapist Brenna
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Children with sensory processing differences have difficulty with regulation, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to interact with the world around them. Our Sensory Explorers group targets regulation in order to build engagement! This group is led by pediatric occupational therapist Mackenzie Baldock and developmental therapist/PLAY Project Consultant Brenna Thompson, both of whom specialize in using developmentally appropriate strategies to support children so they can learn new skills. Group meets once/week for 60 minutes.
Wondering if this class is appropriate for your child? Some characteristics of kids who benefit: easily frustrated with play, repetitive play, difficulty sitting/keeping still to engage in play, refuses to allow others to engage in play, unable to be messy, overly busy, quickly overwhelmed in a busy environment, picky eater, difficulty tolerating grooming/dressing/diapering routines, struggles with transitions/following a group plan/routine.
Goals of the group include:
GROUP MEETS for 8 weeks: Caregivers must stay on the premises to support their child and learn helpful strategies. Children will separate from caregivers for the session; caregivers can socialize at our coffee bar in the lobby (we will also provide a few toys for siblings to play). Caregiver education is a key component of this program.
OPTIONAL Summary Report available at close of session. This 2 page report will summarize your child’s participation in the class and provide helpful sensory strategies to increase their participation in activities. This report could be given to teachers in classrooms & daycares or utilized to help educate other caregivers about ways to help your child participate. This option includes a 30 minute Zoom meeting with Brenna and MacKenzie to review the report and discuss your child’s progress in Sensory Explorers. COST: $100 due at sign up