Special Kids . . . Connect

One of the most difficult challenges parents face when their child is diagnosed with a disability is feeling lost, helpless, and confused about what services can help and support them. Obtaining a medical diagnosis can take months, if not years, and is a laborious process that is often physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially exhausting. Navigating the school systems and advocating for your child’s rights is a mountain that can feel insurmountable. Luckily for the families in Monterey County, there is a local nonprofit whose mission is to develop resources, raise awareness, and provide support to children with disabilities and their families.

THE BEGINNING

Special Kids Connect (SKC) was founded in 2007 by parents of children with developmental disabilities. Originally named Special Kids Crusade, the CA Dept. of Developmental Services immediately designated the organization as Monterey County’s Early Start Family Resource Center. SKC is one of 47 organizations throughout the state that receive funding to provide navigation assistance and peer support to families with children ages 0-3 who have suspected or known developmental delays.

EXPANSION

SKC has expanded its program offerings in the years since, emphasizing 1:1 care coordination and support, parent education, and youth ability inclusion. By 2018, Special Kids Crusade had come to see itself more as a community connector than a crusader, and it changed its name to Special Kids Connect. Its capacity to serve Monterey County families was subsequently bolstered by competitive grant awards from the California Department of Developmental Services and the California Department of Education, which, in 2022, designated Special Kids Connect as Monterey County’s first Family Empowerment Center. Additional funding through local foundations and individual donations has allowed Special Kids Connect to develop new, innovative approaches to supporting Monterey County’s special needs community.

SUPPORT FOR ALL AGES

These days, Special Kids Connect is proud to be able to support families and individuals with special needs of all ages. While “kids” is still a part of their name, they posit that everyone is somebody’s “kid.” In addition to providing families with one-to-one support and guidance on special education and social service navigation, Special Kids Connect offers a number of monthly parent workshops, annual family-fun resource fair events, sibling workshops, monthly child development classes, an Inclusion Ambassadors Youth Volunteer League, emergency readiness training, child care provider training, Parent’s Night Out support groups, and more.

Among its most treasured programs are Special Kids Connect’s REACH offerings. Special Kids Connect’s tagline is “Helping Special Kids Reach for the Stars,” and REACH programs provide children with and without disabilities opportunities to reach for the stars together by taking part in recreational pursuits within inclusive community settings. REACH programs are offered in basketball, golf, bowling, boxing, swimming, soccer, art, and theatre. The heart of every 4 to 6-week REACH program is its ability to support social skills development. Neurotypical and neurodiverse youth come to learn that we are all more alike than we are different.

TOY LENDING LIBRARY

Another local treasure is Special Kids Connect’s STAR (Special Toys And Resources) Toy Library. Located in its Monterey office location, membership is free to all Monterey County families. Library inventory includes weighted blankets, compression vests, toys that support fine and gross motor skills, and cognitive and social skills development. More information and an inventory list are available at www.specialkidsconnect.org/toys.

Special Kids Connect collaborates with several local social service and education agencies. One of its closest collaborations is with Monterey County SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area), whose role is to provide countywide regional coordination and leadership to families and professionals, offering resources in all areas of special education. A product of that collaboration will be a day-long Back to School Special Education Conference for Monterey County families on Saturday, August 19, at Hartnell College in Salinas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Information about Special Kids Connect’s programs and events can be found on its website.

Specialkidsconnect.org houses an extensive resource library with a contact directory for local school district special education programs and businesses, videos on social service acquisition, and more.

Parents and professionals can also use the website to sign up for Special Kids Connect’s e-newsletters so they are among the first to know about a program or event.

Special Kids Connect’s programs and workshops are developed and fine-tuned based on community input. Every survey response, every email request, and every verbal request and suggestion is considered when programs are developed. Addressing families’ needs is Special Kids Connect’s top priority.