2023 Summer Programs

2023 Summer Programs

Our 2023 Summer Enrichment programs are quickly approaching and we are currently taking registrations for both our Wauseon and Springfield locations.

2023 Summer Program Dates:

  • Wauseon: June 5-30 (Registration deadline is May 1)
  • Springfield: July 10 – August 4 (Registration deadline is June 1)

If you are considering either of these programs, now is the time to register and arrange funding.

Sara’s Garden offers amazing summer intervention programs for children with disabilities. These month-long programs deliver inclusive therapies that provide interventions for individuals with a variety of conditions and disabilities.

Our caring and experienced staff of licensed therapists, conductors and paraprofessionals create unique, intensive therapy-based programs that are tailored to the needs of each participant and are designed to enhance your child’s developmental skills. This approach not only helps your child to work towards greater independence, it also keeps the regression of skills and development that typically occurs over the summer months at bay.

Goals of these programs include:

Improving Interpersonal Skills:
  • Relationship building
  • Responding to his/her name
  • Learning the names of peers
  • Basic conversation skills
  • Behavioral skill development
Improving Fine and Gross Motor Skills:
  • Range of motion
  • Sitting and standing
  • Walking and transfers
  • Self feeding
  • Independent living skills
Improving Language Skills:
  • Vocabulary knowledge and understanding
  • Basic concepts
  • Following verbally presented directions
  • Improving story comprehension
  • Improve Reading/Writing Skills
Improving Social Skills:
  • Greetings
  • Turn Taking
  • Initiating communication
  • Informing and directing others
  • Requesting

Our summer intervention programs also provide support for children who use augmentative communication systems (low tech or high tech) who have language and literacy skills and need more experience with peer to peer social skills.

We serve clients with (but not limited to): ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, CDKL5, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Near Drowning, Seizure Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Spina Bifida, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Additional information is being compiled on potential funding and grant options for families in need of financial support.

For more information, please contact Ronda Rupp at 833.668.7272 or via email at [email protected].

2022 Summer Programs

2022 Summer Programs

Our 2022 Summer Enrichment programs are quickly approaching and we are currently taking registrations for both our Wauseon and Springfield locations.

2022 Summer Program Dates:

  • Wauseon: May 31-June 24 (Registration deadline is April 22)
  • Springfield: July 05-29 (Registration deadline is May 19)

If you are considering either of these programs, now is the time to register and arrange funding.

Sara’s Garden offers amazing summer intervention programs for children with disabilities. These month-long programs deliver inclusive therapies that provide interventions for individuals with a variety of conditions and disabilities.

Our caring and experienced staff of licensed therapists, conductors and paraprofessionals create unique, intensive therapy-based programs that are tailored to the needs of each participant and are designed to enhance your child’s developmental skills. This approach not only helps your child to work towards greater independence, it also keeps the regression of skills and development that typically occurs over the summer months at bay.

Goals of these programs include:

Improving Interpersonal Skills:
  • Relationship building
  • Responding to his/her name
  • Learning the names of peers
  • Basic conversation skills
  • Behavioral skill development
Improving Fine and Gross Motor Skills:
  • Range of motion
  • Sitting and standing
  • Walking and transfers
  • Self feeding
  • Independent living skills
Improving Language Skills:
  • Vocabulary knowledge and understanding
  • Basic concepts
  • Following verbally presented directions
  • Improving story comprehension
  • Improve Reading/Writing Skills
Improving Social Skills:
  • Greetings
  • Turn Taking
  • Initiating communication
  • Informing and directing others
  • Requesting

Our summer intervention programs also provide support for children who use augmentative communication systems (low tech or high tech) who have language and literacy skills and need more experience with peer to peer social skills.

We serve clients with (but not limited to): ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, CDKL5, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Near Drowning, Seizure Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Spina Bifida, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Additional information is being compiled on potential funding and grant options for families in need of financial support.

For more information, please contact Ronda Rupp at 833.668.7272 or via email at [email protected].

Everence MyNeighbor Credit Card

Everence MyNeighbor Credit Card

The Everence credit card program, MyNeighbor, offers individuals, businesses and congregations the unique ability to generate donations for Sara’s Garden each time you use the card, at absolutely no cost to you!

MyNeighbor is an easy way to support Sara’s Garden, your Neighbor, through your normal shopping routines. 

For every grocery, gas or other purchase you make, Everence will donate 1.50% of the transaction total to Sara’s Garden.

MyNeighbor features:

  • Applies to all individual and business credit cards from Everence.
  • Choose the Neighbor you want to support from over 9,000 charitable organizations or request to have a Neighbor added.
  • Change your Neighbor at any time.
  • No additional costs to you.
  • Monitor your credit card account and make payments online.

For more information on the MyNeighbor program visit the Everence website HERE.

PERSONAL CREDIT CARD ONLINE APPLICATION
PERSONAL CREDIT CARD ONLINE APPLICATION
DOWNLOAD BUSINESS CREDIT CARD APPLICATION
DOWNLOAD BUSINESS CREDIT CARD APPLICATION

Commemorative Bricks Available

Commemorative Bricks Available

Many people are not aware that they can still purchase engraved, commemorative bricks for the walkway in our playground area. These bricks are available indefinitely as we have a very large area for them to be displayed.

For a tax-deductible donation, we will personalize your limited edition section of the patio. This program offers you the chance to honor family, friends, mentors, sports teams, clubs, organizations or businesses by purchasing a personalized brick paver.

“Buy a Brick” Donor Levels

  • $50.00 – 4″ x 8″ engraved brick space with 1-3 lines of text.
  • $75.00 – 8″ x 8″ engraved brick space with 1-6 lines of text.
  • $100.00 – 12″ x 12″ engraved brick space with 1-8 lines of text.

Inscriptions are in UPPERCASE lettering and are centered on the brick. You can have up to 18 characters per line engraved, including spaces, periods, commas, quotations, etc.

You can also customize your brick with decorative clip art and logo graphics for only $15.00 more. We can also engrave your own clip art or logo for the same price. Simply upload a black & white high resolution logo where specified when you place your order.

Different sizes to choose from.
Buy a Brick. Rock the Walk!
Custom clip art and logos available.
ORDER ONLINE
ORDER ONLINE

You may suggest placement of the graphics on our order sheet under the comments section. Sometimes however it is not possible to accommodate the suggested placement in the layout. In these cases the final design will be left up to our engravers.

Make a lasting memory while supporting the playground project and investing in student’s lives, one step at a time. Help support the students at New Horizons Academy and countless families from across Northwest Ohio that will benefit from this inclusive, handicap accessible playground.

If you would like additional information or need help placing your order, please call or email Matt Rychener at 419-335-7272 ext. 1001.

Not Your Ordinary Summer Camp

Not Your Ordinary Summer Camp

EXTRAORDINARY SPECIALIZED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Over 75 special needs children and youth have flocked to Sara’s Garden in June and July for individualized skill development, specialized therapeutic intervention, intensive behavioral modification, and vocational job training. The Summer Intervention Program in Wauseon and Springfield Township worked with the children and youth on targeted behaviors, interventions, or activities that their parents or public schools requested.

With COVID-19 closing many schools and forcing others into online, virtual learning, many special needs students fell behind academically, socially, and behaviorally this past year. The Summer Intervention Program offered parents and schools, through their Extended School Year (ESY) Services, a way to intensively address these regressions and meet the requirements set by Governor Mike DeWine to offer compensatory, special education services. Sara’s Garden offers summer intervention programming each year; but this year, it filled an even bigger need for therapy services and intervention programming.

The summer services included conductive education (CE), speech/language pathology (SLP), occupational therapy (OT), applied behavioral analysis (ABA), group socialization, academic intervention, life and vocational skill development, and job training for preschool children to high school youth. Sara’s Garden was proud to offer all of these extraordinary services in a fun, structured manner with an underwater theme, which promoted individual development, growth, and independence.

One of the summer highlights for the younger children was getting to see, pet, and enjoy Squirt and Stripz, the Striped Turtles. They were brought in and shared by Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Amanda Grubb, who just loved listening to the kids ask if the turtles were real and if they could touch them. The turtles helped the children work on their sensory issues, behavioral plans, and socialization needs.

Another summer highlight for our middle school and high school youth was getting to work in our Special Grounds Coffee Company’s Roasting and Processing Rooms at our new Career Center (854 S. Shoop Ave., Wauseon). The kids got to measure coffee beans, label bags, create thank you notes for our customers, stamp coffee sleeves, and literally fill online coffee bean and ground coffee orders. In addition to these vocational skills and job training opportunities, the youth also worked on daily living skills like cooking special recipes, running the washer and dryer to do laundry, cleaning the career center and skills labs, and working on vocabulary development, communication techniques, customer service, and social-emotional interactions, explained a very proud Speech/Language Pathologist Katie Nelson.

To place your roasted bean or ground coffee order, log onto www.specialgroundscoffee.com. All proceeds help to support the vocational development and job placements of our special needs kids. Sara’s Garden also hopes to have its Special Grounds Coffee Shop open to the public soon, so our youth can personally serve you that fresh cup of coffee. Stay tuned for our upcoming Grand Opening!

But our special needs children and youth could not access these extraordinary services and programs without you, so we want to take a moment and thank as many schools, organizations, and groups as we can, who helped make this Summer Intervention Program another success. They included:

  • ESY through the following school districts—Archbold, Benton Carroll Salem, Liberty Center, Maumee, Perrysburg, Springfield, Stryker, Washington, and Woodmore,
  • Family Sponsorship Program through Sara’s Garden
  •  Post Adoption Special Services Subsidy (PASSS) Funding
  • Henry County Family and Children First Council (FCFC)
  • Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD) in Fulton, Henry, Lucas, and Williams Counties
  • Downs Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo (DSAGT)
  • Community Fund Ohio
  • Anne Grady Center
  • Avenues for Autism
  • Project iAM/Acoustics for Autism
  • Northwest Ohio Apraxia Support
  • Ohio Elks
  • The Megan Weisenbach Foundation
  • University of Toledo’s SLP Program and all of its dedicated graduate school students
  • And of course, many, many family and friends

THANK YOU SO MUCH for caring about and supporting our special needs kids as they work to become more and more independent, working to reach their full potential!

Michelle Nagle, director at our Springfield Campus, stated, “As usual, the Summer Intervention Program this year did not disappoint! After being involved in this program for the past five Summers, it never ceases to amaze me just how quickly the kids make positive gains and benefit from services over the Summer. Our staff has done a great job implementing our plans for each of the kids and developing relationships with those that are new to us. Both the kids and the staff had fun!”

For more information on our Summer Intervention Program, to register a child, or to find out how you can help support special needs children in Northwest Ohio, please call Admissions Coordinator Ronda Rupp at 419-335-7272 or log onto our web site at https://sarasgarden.org/support/

Summer Programs Quickly Approaching

Summer Programs Quickly Approaching

Our 2021 Summer Enrichment programs are quickly approaching and we are currently taking registrations for both our Wauseon and Springfield locations.

2021 Summer Program Dates:

  • Wauseon: June 01-25 (Registration deadline is April 23)
  • Springfield: July 06-30 (Registration deadline is May 20)

If you are considering either of these programs, now is the time to register and arrange funding.

Sara’s Garden offers amazing summer intervention programs for children with disabilities. These month-long programs deliver inclusive therapies that provide interventions for individuals with a variety of conditions and disabilities.

Our caring and experienced staff of licensed therapists, conductors and paraprofessionals create unique, intensive therapy-based programs that are tailored to the needs of each participant and are designed to enhance your child’s developmental skills. This approach not only helps your child to work towards greater independence, it also keeps the regression of skills and development that typically occurs over the summer months at bay.

Goals of these programs include:

Improving Interpersonal Skills:
  • Relationship building
  • Responding to his/her name
  • Learning the names of peers
  • Basic conversation skills
  • Behavioral skill development
Improving Fine and Gross Motor Skills:
  • Range of motion
  • Sitting and standing
  • Walking and transfers
  • Self feeding
  • Independent living skills
Improving Language Skills:
  • Vocabulary knowledge and understanding
  • Basic concepts
  • Following verbally presented directions
  • Improving story comprehension
  • Improve Reading/Writing Skills
Improving Social Skills:
  • Greetings
  • Turn Taking
  • Initiating communication
  • Informing and directing others
  • Requesting

Our summer intervention programs also provide support for children who use augmentative communication systems (low tech or high tech) who have language and literacy skills and need more experience with peer to peer social skills.

We serve clients with (but not limited to): ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, CDKL5, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Near Drowning, Seizure Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Spina Bifida, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Additional information is being compiled on potential funding and grant options for families in need of financial support.

For more information, please contact Ronda Rupp at 833.668.7272 or via email at [email protected].

Conductor Teacher Training at Aquinas College

Conductor Teacher Training at Aquinas College

Are you looking for a fulfilling career in the field of special education?

In 2001, Aquinas College (AQ) launched the first and only conductive education teacher training program in North America offering internationally recognized conductive education teacher certification concurrent with nationally accredited and Michigan Department of Education recognized special education teacher preparation.

This program remains the only program in North America approved by the Semmelweis University András Petö Faculty in Budapest Hungary to prepare conductor teachers. Candidates in this program accrue over 2,000 hours of hands-on experience at the Conductive Learning Center of North America (CLC) laboratory school. Graduates from this program are in high demand in the United States and internationally.

Three program options are available:

  1. Michigan Teacher Certification Option Candidates interested in earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with teacher certification in special education, focused on Physically and Otherwise Health-Impaired (POHI) students, can pursue a 63 credit major in Elementary Education along with the 59 credit POHI major. Candidates in this five-year program complete over 2,500 hours of clinical fieldwork beginning in their first semester at AQ.
  2. International and Out-of-State Candidate Option Candidates from abroad or from out-of-state who are not interested in Michigan teacher certification may choose to complete a Bachelor of Arts program with the 59 credit POHI major. Candidates in this program qualify for international conductor certification from the Semmelweis University András Petö Faculty.
  3. Degree-holding Candidate Option Candidates who already hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, may complete just the 59 credit POHI major leading toward international conductor certification from the Semmelweis University András Petö Faculty.

Admission Requirements 

Prior to full admission into the program, candidates must successfully complete a 40 hour observation/experience at the Conductive Learning Center of North America, course work in anatomy and physiology, and maintain a minimum college-level 3.0 grade point average.

Career Paths for POHI/Conductor Teachers

Conductive education is a growing field in the profession in the United States and throughout the world. A holistic approach to learning, conductive education addresses all aspects of an individual with motor disorders: motor, social, and cognitive development. Trained POHI/conductor teachers may work in a traditional school setting or with a specialized services program. Embracing an integrated program of educational and rehabilitative services, POHI/Conductor teachers work closely with other medical and educational professionals to ensure continuity of programming that will lead to self-confidence and functional independence.

Contact Info

For more information, please visit the Aquinas College website, contact Aquinas College Admissions or reach out to the staff at the Conductive Learning Center of North America. An exciting and fulfilling future awaits!

Lindsey Hansen, AQ Admissions
[email protected]
616.632.2878

Dr. Andrea Benyovszky, AQ Adjunct
[email protected]
616.389.4651

Start Planning for Summer 2021

Start Planning for Summer 2021

It’s never too early to start planning for our upcoming 2021 summer intervention programs!

2021 Camp Dates:

  • Wauseon: June 01-25
  • Springfield: July 06-30

Sara’s Garden offers amazing summer intervention programs for children with disabilities. These month-long programs deliver inclusive therapies that provide interventions for individuals with a variety of conditions and disabilities.

Our caring and experienced staff of licensed therapists, conductors and paraprofessionals create unique, intensive therapy-based programs that are tailored to the needs of each participant and are designed to enhance your child’s developmental skills. This approach not only helps your child to work towards greater independence, it also keeps the regression of skills and development that typically occurs over the summer months at bay.

Goals of these programs include:

Improving Interpersonal Skills:
  • Relationship building
  • Responding to his/her name
  • Learning the names of peers
  • Basic conversation skills
  • Behavioral skill development
Improving Fine and Gross Motor Skills:
  • Range of motion
  • Sitting and standing
  • Walking and transfers
  • Self feeding
  • Independent living skills
Improving Language Skills:
  • Vocabulary knowledge and understanding
  • Basic concepts
  • Following verbally presented directions
  • Improving story comprehension
  • Improve Reading/Writing Skills
Improving Social Skills:
  • Greetings
  • Turn Taking
  • Initiating communication
  • Informing and directing others
  • Requesting

Our summer intervention programs also provide support for children who use augmentative communication systems (low tech or high tech) who have language and literacy skills and need more experience with peer to peer social skills.

We serve clients with (but not limited to): ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, CDKL5, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Near Drowning, Seizure Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Spina Bifida, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Additional information is being compiled on potential funding and grant options for families in need of financial support.

For more information, please contact Ronda Rupp at 833.668.7272 or via email at [email protected].

Special Grounds Project Update ~ Oct. 2020

Special Grounds Project Update ~ Oct. 2020

We wanted to update everyone on the status of our exciting new project, Special Grounds Coffee Shop.

Complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made this a challenging project. While these unforeseen factors have caused delays in our progress, we are still excited beyond belief at the amazing opportunities this facility will provide to our students and individuals with disabilities in our community. Walls are starting to go up and equipment is starting to arrive.

In the near future we hope to begin our roasting process which will allow us to master our roasting profiles and provide our customers with amazing blends and recipes.

Please continue to keep an eye out for our Special Grounds Coffee Shop Grand Opening invitation and announcement. We look forward to seeing you and serving you there!

We Need Your Support Now, More Than Ever!

We Need Your Support Now, More Than Ever!

During these uncertain times, we need your support now, more than ever! Sara’s Garden and New Horizons Academy are doing everything we can to meet federal, state, and local health and safety guidelines so we can stay open and accessible to serve our special needs children and their families.

We are so grateful to the dedication of our staff, who really pitched in and helped get our special needs Summer Camp up and running with just six days’ notice from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. They also revised our hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocols and office and lobby procedures to serve our clients while keeping them safe from coronavirus exposure. We can’t thank our nurses, therapists, and staff enough!

Many of our clients are those least able to navigate this new normal. They are under intense financial, emotional, and physical stress, and they need our services now more than ever which is why we need your support. Because of COVID-19, we were forced to cancel our Purse Bingo and Golf Outing, two annual fundraisers that we rely and count upon to fund operations. The Ohio Department of Education also informed us that all of our Autism and Jon Peterson Scholarships will be reduced due to the governor’s budget cuts. When our special needs children and their families need the services the most, funding is the tightest.

If you have the means or are able to help, please consider making a donation to Sara’s Garden and New Horizons Academy. Our special needs children and their families need your support and our services now more than ever! Please consider donating today. Log onto https://sarasgarden.org/support/ to make a credit card donation or send your check or money order to Sara’s Garden, P.O. Box 150, Wauseon, OH 43567.

Thank you for your continued support of Sara’s Garden and New Horizons Academy! We hope you and your loved ones stay safe and well.