Special Kids Connect develops resources, raises awareness, and provides support for the over 12,000 children with disabilities and their families in Monterey County.
Special Kids Connect’s REACH Ability-Inclusive Enrichment Programs give youth with and without special needs opportunities to develop skills of inclusion that are transferable to all areas of their lives. With a portfolio of offerings in sports and the arts, REACH gives young people opportunities to participate at their own level and at their own pace while developing fine and gross motor skills, enhancing cognitive abilities, and socializing with peers and adults in nurturing, supportive environments.
Equally important is the way REACH programs break down barriers between young people who have special needs and their neurotypical peers. REACH gives youth of all abilities the opportunity to interact, have fun, and realize that, regardless of an individual’s unique and special needs, we are all more alike than we are different.
Special Kids Connect serves the families of the over 12,000 children throughout Monterey County who have a special need. Its 3 divisions provide comprehensive support to special needs families in the following ways: Special Kids Connect’s Community Programs division operates its REACH programs (our “Big Idea”) and offers outreach to families to support emergency preparedness and resource access. Special Kids Connect’s Education division works with parents of school-age children to ensure full access to a free and appropriate public education. Special Kids Connect’s Community Services division assists parents with accessing and applying for social service and government benefits available to families of children with disabilities. In addition to operating out of its home office in Salinas, Special Kids Connect's trilingual staff (English, Spanish, Triqui) meets families in their communities outside of working hours and on weekends.
All our son wants is to belong and be a part of something where he will be motivated, encouraged, and celebrated for who he is. Through Special Kids Connect’s REACH programs, our son is able to socialize and build confidence to enjoy activities in the community that he is slowly learning to navigate. REACH programs remind our son that his needs matter just as much as anyone else’s.
- Alicia Flores, Salinas
