SteppingStone Overview
Steppingstone, Stiles Pond, Boxford. What a beautiful place to spend our summer!The SteppingStone Extended Year Program provides a six-week educational day program to students, ages 5 to 22 that have moderate to intensive developmental delays or multiple disabilities. This program is located on the shores of Stiles Pond in Boxford on property leased from the Town of Boxford. All ten of buildings at SteppingStone have full wheelchair access. Six out of the eight cabins, plus the nursing and office area have air conditioning. SteppingStone runs daily from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
For those students whose educational needs do not allow them to participate in an outdoor setting, school-based sites exist. Historically, two classes have been held at the GLEC Methuen Campus.
Goals are prioritized from the student's educational plan and carried over throughout the summer session. A learner's day might include a cabin meeting, a group speech or occupational therapy session, snack, arts and crafts, functional academics, social skills group, lunch, waterfront, activities of daily living and an adaptive camp-wide sporting event.
At the Boxford site, the beautiful waterfront provides students access to adaptive aquatic experiences on a daily basis, including swimming, boating, fishing and social interactions. We offer a variety of adaptive floats and supports. Two Advanced Life Saving Licensed Certified waterfront staff oversee all swimming and boating activities
The beautiful waterfront provides the opportunity to provide adaptive aquatic experiences on a daily basis, including swimming, boating, fishing and social interactions. We offer a variety of adaptive floats and supports. A WSI certified waterfront coordinator oversees all swimming and boating activities.
Each week the entire program focuses on one theme, such as insects, the Olympics or puppets doing activities on the topic in each cabin throughout the week and culminating in a camp-wide special event. The program encourages parent participation and maintains close communication with families on a daily basis. Staffing includes certified special education teachers, counselors, counselors in training (CIT), water safety instructors, licensed practical nurses supervised by a registered nurse, a full-time camp director and specialists. These specialists include occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and vision therapy/orientation and mobility.
The therapy services (speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy) are provided using an integrated model of service delivery. Therapeutic services are provided as per a summer service delivery grid in each student's IEP. Many services are offered in a group format.
The goals for SteppingStone are:
- to provide students with a summer educational program that meets Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education standards and complies with local and state Department of Public Health Summer Camp regulations
- to utilize the natural environment for the teaching and maintenance of skills and to prevent the loss of previously acquired skills
- to provide students with summer experiences that would be similar to age-appropriate peers
- to incorporate the use of the waterfront and its facilities as a means of meeting educational objectives
Page Last modified: February 09 2012 13:47:27.