A Visit to Holy Childhood

Holy Childhood was founded in 1946 by educators and community leader visionaries who believed in the value of every person regardless of their abilities. Holy Childhood is a non-denominational, non-profit agency that prepares children and adults with developmental disabilities for maximum independence and  integration in the community through individualized programs and services.

Holy Julia7Childhood includes the School Program which offers comprehensive and therapeutic services to children ages five to twenty-one.  The School Program is a New York State Department of Education-certified school serving 116 student from 39 school districts. Full-day special education instruction is based on each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).  Instruction includes emphasis on literacy, math, science, pre-vocational training, wood working, life skills, music, art, adaptive physical education and transition training.

Holy Childhood also includes the Jimmy W. Wilmot Adult Day Training Program that serves adults in a three workshop setting,which provides vocational training and sheltered employment for adults with developmental disabilities.  The adult program is designed to prepare program participants for community employment. To help achieve this goal, they offer training in prevocational skills, woodwoJulia8rking, food service, and facilities maintenance.

Lastly, Holy Childhood includes the Health Center, an Article 16 clinic, which provides comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services in the areas of medicine/nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, speech therapy and social work to both the student and adult population. These services include physical examinations, state-mandated health screenings (including vision, hearing and scoliosis), emergency first aid, the administration of medications and illness assessment.  The Health Center staff also includes occupational therapists and speech language pathologists who provide services for students in and out of the classrooms.

A group of community advocates spent a full class day at Holy Childhood. During their visit, they got a tour and overview of all of the services offered at the Holy Childhood.  In addition, they visited a few assigned classrooms to engage with the students and assist in small group activities outlined by the classroom teachers and organized activities used to address special needs of children.  They walked away with an improved understanding of how to effectively communicate with this population, as well as a first-hand experience of how this is accomplished within this organization.

If you are interested in learning more about Holy Childhood, please feel free to visit www.holychildhood.org or call (585) 359-3710 for a tour of the program and meeting.

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