Our C.A.R.E. Team is starting a new program to offer sensory toys and items as a therapy aid for children with disabilities.
C.A.R.E. Team is an outreach program that assists families with children with disabilities from birth to 21 years old.
The team is creating sensory packs for children to include such items as fanny packs, backpacks, kinetic sand, push-pop bubble toys, fidget toys, bubble wands, play tunnels, sorting and stacking toys and noise-canceling headphones.
The items offer a variety of benefits including promoting touch, increasing concentration, reducing anxiety, developing fine motor skills and encouraging language skills.
Please visit www.dreamlist.com/for/carehub to learn more about sensory toys or to donate items.
About the C.A.R.E. Team
The C.A.R.E. Team is a collaboration among professionals from the J.D. McCarty Center, the Department of Human Services and Developmental Disability Services who work together to serve caregivers of children with a perceived or confirmed diagnosis of an intellectual or developmental disability.
C.A.R.E. stands for Connecting with families; Assessing resources; Responding to needs; and Enhancing lives.
The program assists children from birth to 21 years old and works to meet the needs of the caregivers and children through empowerment and self-determination using a person-centered, strengths-based, solution-focused approach.
Clients include former patients of the J.D. McCarty Center, children in OKDHS and DDS Foster Care, individuals on the DDS waitlist, referrals from OKDHS hotline, referrals from other service providers or other families served by the program.
The team's work includes:
- Evaluating needs through an initial assessment
- Building bridges with families and support services
- Connecting families with behavioral support services and medication assessments
- Linking families to community resources, services and training based on the specialized support needs of their loved one
- In-house referrals for therapy services
For more information, email care@jdmc.org or call Whitney Kenedy, referral coordinator, at 405-307-2960.
