Students and staff at a Palatine, Illinois-based day school have big plans to enhance their sensory room with funds received from a THF grant.
The ChildBridge Center for Education at Little City is a therapeutic day school for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. According to its mission, the school serves "children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing the best options and opportunities to live safely, learn continuously, explore creatively and work productively throughout their lifetime."
At the time Little City's grant application was submitted by Eugene Martinez, a single sensory room was shared between four classrooms. Classrooms consist of 8-10 students, 1 teacher and 2 paraprofessionals.
"The sensory room is limited in equipment options," he wrote. "Funding to rehabilitate the sensory room will help students better manage stress, emotions and relax so they can return to the classroom and learn with peers. Teachers, BCBAs, and paraprofessionals will provide input to rehabilitate the sensory room together."
Plans for the funds include purchasing new items for the sensory room including: wall paddings, liquid floor tile sets, spiky sensory bouncy balls, ooze tube liquid motion timers, a large hugging pea pod, a small pillow for crash mat, a sensory vibrating pillow, seating sofa, heated massage chair, large rotating bean shaped sensory skateboards and platform swings.
"Sensory rooms offer a controlled environment that stimulates the senses and promotes self-regulation and relaxation, allowing youth to significantly improve their sensory and emotional regulation, focus and attention, and reduce challenging behaviors," said Grants Manager Roksana Lech. "The Hambrick Foundation is equipping our students with the tools and resources needed to thrive every day!"
About Little City
Established in 1959, Little City was founded by a group of parents who dreamed of a revolutionary environment for their children who “experts” often said should be institutionalized. Today, Little City is a vital, vibrant community offering a comprehensive scope of services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Their founding principles along with a therapeutic community approach, continue to guide programs and services for children and adults of all ages, enabling Little City to create hope, change lives and challenge the limits placed on individuals with disabilities.
The nonprofit includes a 56-acre campus in Palatine with a choice of housing, programming and educational options as well as a foster care placement office in Chicago. They recently added the Duffey Family Children’s Village of state-of-the-art group homes for children and doubled the square footage and capacity of its ChildBridge Center for Education.