SOAR’s minimum age has officially been changed!

Community Living’s Social Opportunities and Recreation (SOAR) program is known for providing a fun, safe environment for kids with developmental disabilities who need a place to go after school. For the past few years, the program received inquires from families who needed this type of program, but whose children didn’t meet the minimum age requirement for SOAR, which has traditionally only been open to middle and high school students. “A lot of these inquiries were from families who really struggled to find appropriate alternative options for their children that provided safety, socialization, and a high level of one-to-one support,” said Brittney Moss, the Director of Recreation Services at Community Living.

So this summer, SOAR set off to run a pilot program to respond to this need. Eight children who would not have been able to attend previously were welcomed to the pilot program dubbed “SOAR Jr.” during SOAR’s Summer Camp. Although that extended the program participants’ age range from eight to twenty, staff reported that the younger kids fit in well with the group. “The children really did integrate seamlessly,” said Moss. “The environment fostered a wonderful opportunity for the children to create strong natural relationships with their peers, build confidence, and have so much fun!”

The kids weren’t the only ones who were pleased with being included. Parents of the younger participants said they were grateful to have an option for their children to attend a program that provides not only safety, but wonderful socialization and community integration opportunities.

Because of the success of the pilot program, SOAR Jr. will be removing “Jr.” from its title as it is fully integrated into the standing SOAR program. Moving forward, SOAR will serve children as young as eight years old through their high school graduation thanks to funding from the Developmental Disabilities Resource Board (DDRB) and Community and Children’s Resource Board (CCRB).