Growing Social
The warmth of the Watsonville sun shines brightly on Larkin Valley Farm, a small farm off Highway 1 at Airport Road. The farmstead feels like a world away as ducklings waddle by and students pick fresh raspberries and mulberry leaves from the orchard to feed the goats. Students collect grass from the ground and tie it onto a string along with veggie scraps for a group activity. The children chuckle as they go “chicken fishing” and hang the string through the fence for the hens and rooster to eat. Teens gather in the outdoor classroom to discuss ingredients to add to their cooking project. This farm makes an ideal outdoor classroom for the students at Growing Social to strengthen their social learning skills.
Growing Social’s Speech and Language Pathologists specialize in teaching social learning to neurodivergent students (including ADHD, Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder, Social Anxiety, and Autism). Their teaching is geared toward students who have solid language, cognitive, and learning abilities. Students are carefully matched in small groups of 3-5 to ensure they work on similar skills and goals. Parents fill out a comprehensive application packet that helps the team find an appropriate group placement.
Growing Social’s teachings includes “Social Thinking®,” an internationally recognized learning model that effectively explores the why behind social skills. The program’s Speech Language Pathologists and co-founders Stephanie Madrigal and Amy Miller, worked with the developer, Michelle Winner, for years in San Jose before starting Growing Social. “Social Thinking®” is commonly taught in school districts by teachers, speech pathologists, and counselors to help increase students’ perspective-taking ability (teaching students to consider their own and others’ thoughts, emotions, intentions, beliefs, and knowledge). Teaching social learning also includes supporting students with problem-solving, executive functioning, body/brain awareness, emotional regulation, social awareness, interaction with others, and self-advocacy.
Growing Social offers small group therapeutic summer camps, individual sessions, and a combination. In addition, teens and young adults can work as camp counselors, and the following teen camps are available: Community Farm/Based Camp (teens), Social Vocational Camp (16+ years), and Farm and Community Based Camps (teens). Growing Social also has seasonal camps in the fall and spring, including Saturday sessions. Most sessions occur on the farm, but Growing Social also supports students in their community and schools.
“At Growing Social, we celebrate neurodiversity and build community. We provide highly therapeutic teaching for those who want support in better understanding and navigating the social world. The farm setting creates an incredibly motivating and meaningful setting for students of all ages.”
FOR MORE INFO:
Applications are still being accepted for summer sessions. To find out more about Growing Social, their summer camp, and programs, visit growingsocial.org or contact Amy Miller and Stephanie Madrigal at (408) 806-4603.
Summer camp sessions are offered Monday-Thursday full-day (10:00 am-4:00 pm) or half-day sessions (10:00 am-1:00 pm or 1:30 pm-4:30 pm).
Whispering Pines Day Camp & City of Monterey Recreation
In the summer of 2023, Whispering Pines Day Camp will celebrate its 65th year in Monterey. This full-day camp has various nature and outdoor activities and adventures, including hiking, arts and crafts, cooking, folk dancing, and singing.
Whispering Pines is a day camp for ages five to nine, children with disabilities up to age 12 are eligible to attend. The staff at Whispering Pines have worked with children with various levels of needs, including Autism, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, and other neuro divergences and disabilities. Parents are encouraged to contact the staff at Whispering Pines about the accommodations their child needs and any documentation that may be informative, such as a 504 or IEP. Examples of accommodations include assigning a counselor to a student for additional support or allowing the camper’s “outside” aide to join the student at camp. Whispering Pines has a full camp schedule starting at 9:00 am and ending at 5:30 pm, but if a child needs reduced hours, they can get permission to be picked up early.
The City of Monterey’s Recreation Manager, Shannon Leon, emphasizes the importance of parents communicating their child’s needs and support systems. “Many children need accommodations, whether they have a medical diagnosis or not,” she shares. “We encourage parents to be transparent and reach out to build that relationship and prepare staff before camp. We want our parents to tell us what works best for their child and be honest with their needs so they can have the best experience and summer camp possible.”
The staff at Whispering Pines works closely with Special Kids Connect, a local nonprofit that develops resources, raises awareness, and supports children with disabilities and their families. Special Kids Connect partners with camp counselors and staff members to teach social interaction techniques that benefit children of all abilities and ages.
Staff is trained in emergency management, such as handling medical conditions like diabetes and allergies, including administering EpiPens. Legally they cannot administer insulin at this time but will work with parents to make accommodations.
Shannon Leon encourages parents to reach out and ask about accommodations for their recreation programs, including the Monterey Sports Center.
FOR MORE INFO:
Visit monterey.org/rec or contact a Monterey Recreation staff member at (831) 646-3866 or email: montereyrecreation@monterey.org.
Regardless of the type of summer camp or any special issue your child may have, it is important to communicate their needs to the staff. Education builds empathy and understanding, and when your child’s needs are seen and heard, their summer camp will be a more positive experience!
Sabrina Hiltunen’s first job was as a camp counselor at a local overnight camp in 1999. Her favorite memories from that summer were hiking and camping under the stars in Big Sur.