Change creates Change

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Your Change ...

Goldfish • Pudding in cups • Apple sauce

Animal crackers • Paper plates • Small Dixie cups
Paper towels •

Hand soap • Wipes ...

... and some more last minute items are being purchased
this evening! All items will be delivered tomorrow during lunch.
Anyone is welcome to go with me to deliver the items during lunch.

Thank you again!

I work with the most amazing people!

*P.S. If you are missing sunglasses from the tour, they have them
(she actually thought that was why I was calling).
I will bring them back with me tomorrow.

Making Big Waves in the Lives of Little Ones

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
Children's artwork at Waves Early Learning Program

Before our visit to the Waves Early Childhood Learning Program, I'd always associated Waves Inc. with its services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While those services for adults have been in place since the organization began in 1973, the children's programs have been around almost as long - since 1984.

My fellow group members have done a thorough job providing information about the basics of the program here already, so I want to share two things that made the greatest impression on me during the visit (and some photos):

1. Waves Early Learning provides specialized services to children with developmental delays, at the earliest stages of their development.
All I could think is what a relief these programs must be to families who, typically through a medical diagnosis, have just absorbed the news that development does not seem to be progressing "normally." There must be at least some peace of mind knowing they may have access to a convenient community resource staffed by caring, experienced therapists who are prepared to intervene and provide solutions immediately.

2. These services benefit ALL children, period.
Many of the children enrolled in this program - 60 percent of them - do not have developmental challenges. Blending the children together at an early stage in a play-based environment allows them to learn from one another, not just from the therapists/instructors. I suspect the children without delays gain as much from the program as those who do. When we walked into the classroom, it was alive with activity; all were participating in some way.

Seeing United Way funding in action is always inspiring; for the two reasons above, it was especially so at Waves Early Learning. Happy children engaged in learning and socializing always is a great thing to behold. Unfortunately, some of the organization's therapy programs that have been in place for six years will discontinue at the end of this month, due to lack of funding. This type of news is testament to the importance of giving to United Way.

Below are a few more photos from our visit:

SOCIALIZE
Do what the photo says!
Go "Like" Waves Early Learning Program on Facebook

Visit to Waves Early Childhood Learning Program

Be sure to check out http://www.wavesinc.com

A little can go a long way ...

You may have read through Casey and Keith's posts, funding came up a lot while we were touring the Waves Early Childhood Learning Program, one small way we could help is with some simple everyday items they need. They have a very small wish list, I am volunteering to collect these items and deliver them to the center. If you would like to help, it would mean a lot to some very special people making a very big difference, you can drop off the items at my desk.

Waves Wish list:
Goldfish
Pudding in cups
Applesauce
Animal crackers
Paper plates
Small Dixie cups
Paper towels
Hand soap (not sanitizer)
Wipes

I will plan on delivering these items Monday, June 14th.

Thank you.
Alison Hunter

More photos from WAVES visit, part II

Early Intervention, Encouragement and Hope

"Waves provides a variety of play-based learning programs for infants, toddlers and preschool age children."  - www.wavesinc. com

This is all they say about themselves on their website, but oh do they do so much more! And they are able to do this through funding from the State (Dept. of Education) and from organizations like United Way.

Imagine this: Your child has developmental needs - big or small and your pediatrician has given you paperwork, referring you to those who can help in ways he can't. What do you do next?

That's where Waves Early Learning Center comes in. They provide additional support services for children who are experiencing developmental delays by creating a stimulating classroom environment with a mix of 60% peer models (children not needing services) and 40% children needing services. They also provide support by employing occupational therapists, speech therapists, family therapists who go out into the community to work in a home environment with children with special needs and teach parents what to do.

What a great support system!

Then, those same therapists work closely with teachers to make sure the home and school environment care is optimized.

The word funding kept coming up over and over again. They kept telling us great stories about a new class for 3-4 year olds that they had to cancel because of a lack of funding. A new program that children and parents benefited from and praised that they had to cancel because of what? You guessed it, funding.

WELC gets most of their funding through the state but is a part of the Waves Inc. organization that is a United Way agency and receives support.

95% of peer model referrals are word-of-mouth - what a great testimony to how great this program is for all children. And they're plugged into social media - check out their Facebook Fan Page here.

More photos from WAVES visit

Waves Visit - Keith

Great visit. Really learned a lot. One thing I learned was that there is a large gap in services for children who leave (around 3 or 4) WAVES, till they get into the system with the Dept. of Education. They also had to discontinue some of these services because of a lack of funding this year. Reaching children at a young age is one of the most important things we can do as a society. A little bit goes a long way.
Keith

Pictures from Waves

Tiny Dancer

Scotty was going places. Dancing was his ticket to the world outside his door. Scotty danced and danced like a sneaky, little snake toward the gate of freedom. Literally. Just beyond the gate was the door that led to the streets of downtown Franklin. Adventure was within his grasp. All he had to do was open the gate and bolt!

Scotty is just under 2 years old and attends the United Way funded Waves Early Childhood Learning Program. Thanks to the quick-footed developmental specialists who educate and support him, Scotty was swept away from the gate, back into the warm, inviting classroom for a little more practice before he hits the big time. The small class setting and play-oriented program leaves plenty of time for dancing. Or as the lesson plan might say, gross motor skill development.

Did you know that by 24 months most children can use two or three words together, kick a large ball, recognize a familiar picture and know if it is upside down? If your child is not reaching developmental milestones within the expected time frames, Waves can help. Early intervention is the key to smoother educational transitions for children with challenges as varied as speech delay, physical development delays and behavioral issues. Waves even has a program for children with Autism.

But funding is sparse. Programs have been cut this year, and the floor in the classroom is dire need of replacement. Donations to the United Way can help. Because the need to provide support for families who have children with special needs does not end when the funding ends.

Follow Waves Early Childhood Learning Program on Facebook!

More about Funding ...

A Classroom at Waves Early Learning

A Quick Word about Funding

Waves Early Learning Program!