Teens and adults with IDD started creating their own videogames through new five-week courses at Studio Arc. Kicking off on January 18, the program includes a one-hour class for teens followed by a one-hour class for adults. The weekly sessions are a part of GameU’s Hybrid+ Program, which bills itself as “a dynamic and engaging introduction to game design and coding.” Each class is designed for beginners of all abilities, allowing students to go at their own pace. GameU also trains Studio Arc staff to help the students along the way. After five weeks, participants will have completed a mini video game [...]

A new Social Skills class series kicked off in the new year, focusing on building social skills among The Arc’s children and teen participants. The classes run every Tuesday, with ages 5 to 10 meeting from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and ages 11 to 15 meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Opportunity Zone in Maplewood. They are scheduled weekly through the end of March. Each class, led by social worker Casey Dickson, starts with greeting peers and answering social questions. Then the group will zero in on the lesson of the week, with topics such as taking turns and sharing, [...]

The children at Stepping Stones School have been enjoying a variety of winter-themed activities and seasonal celebrations. Some lessons included: Winter sensory activities, such as using tools to spread shaving cream on plastic ice cubes to create towers and pyramids, and playing with fake snow and plastic penguins Learning about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., including his messages of kindness and peace. The children created peace signs using multicultural paper strips. Celebrating the Lunar New Year with paper chain snakes, a dragon banner, dancing with paddle drums, Chinese specialties for lunch and snacks, and everyone wearing red for good luck “Ice Skating” [...]

Supporters of The Arc of Essex County can buy their special someone a card or candle handmade by Studio Arc artisans as a Valentine’s Day gift. The Studio Arc Shop, which can be visited at bit.ly/studioarcshop, is selling three different designs of Valentine’s Day cards, each featuring embossing and die-cut details and sold for $5. The shop also includes Valentine’s-themed soy wax candles with essential oils, which are available in two different scents. The Floral Fantasy candle is scented with notes of bergamot, rose, and ylang ylang and features decorative dried flowers and a red ribbon. The Chocolate Delight candle features [...]

Lisa from The Arc of Essex County’s West Caldwell Hub Day Program has made a couple of moves over the last few years. In 2020, she moved with her sister and her family from California to New Jersey in order to be closer to her nephew and his growing family. Then, in 2024, she moved from Randolph to Livingston, which is when she joined The Arc of Essex County family. Program Supervisor Shawn Santos at WCHUB says that Lisa’s arrival to the day program in December was like a ray of sunshine. “We love her here,” he says. “She’s got a [...]

It was a chance conversation with her cousin that brought Adriana Pocius to The Arc of Essex County in 2017. After studying sociology and criminal justice at Caldwell College, Adriana explored social work and earned her master’s degree in the field at Monmouth University. She initially worked with a clinical team on out-of-district placements for children ages 5 to 21, which she says she thoroughly enjoyed. “I saw a lot of growth with the people I was working with, and a lot of positive changes.” Life circumstances sent Adriana back up to northern New Jersey and she began looking for new [...]

Participants in The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Recreation, Group Respite, and Community Inclusion programs enjoyed a busy start to 2025. Recent activities included: A “Matinee and Mingle” gathering on January 12, where the group watched the movie Mufasa at AMC Clifton and then met up at a restaurant to chat about the film together Bowling trips to Bowlero in Belleville on January 11, 18, and 25, and February 1 Hotel Respite Weekend (January 24 to 26), which featured bowling, a trip to the movies, karaoke, and dancing together A trip to Dave & Buster’s on January 26, where the group enjoyed arcade games [...]

The Arc of Essex County children’s programming featured familiar favorites and new opportunities to start the new year. Activities included: Visiting a farmer’s market and discussing making healthy choices, visiting Five Below and talking about money management, creating pin buttons, and bowling at Saturday Respite Communi-Play communication parties and Art & Play sessions for children ages 2.5 to 5 on Saturdays at Studio Arc A fun Parents’ Night Out evening on January 17, with games and winter activities The launch of a new Social Skills Class for children and teens (click here for the full story) and GameU videogame sessions for teens (click here [...]

To kick off 2025, the residents in The Arc of Essex County group homes enjoyed a variety of activities at home and community outings throughout January. Highlights include: A New Year’s celebration at the Newark Apartments that featured hats, noisemakers, and sparkling cider A “Girls’ Night In” at Studio Arc for a dozen ladies from the Ashwood, Belleville, Green Ave, Oakwood, and Orange group homes, who enjoyed working on a winter craft and socializing together over dinner Festive birthday celebrations for Evette at the Nutley Group Home and Andre at the Washington Group Home, who enjoyed birthday meals (and cake!) with their peers [...]

For individuals seeking a community living placement, The Arc of Essex County has the following February 2025 openings: Belleville Group Home (1 Male Vacancy) Two-family supervised apartment on quiet dead-end street 24/7 supervision Located near Branch Brook Park and other outdoor spaces Residents enjoy activities together, including trips to area destinations as well as picnics on their spacious deck Washington Avenue Residence (1 Male Vacancy) Single-family style group home in a quiet Montclair neighborhood 24/7 supervision Within walking distance of parks and shopping Residents enjoy going on local trips together South Orange Supportive Living Apartment (1 Female Vacancy) 1 bedroom available in a 2-bedroom apartment Minimal community living support needs Access to an emergency [...]