As we come up on two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all weary of hearing about closures, quarantines, and other life interruptions caused by the virus. With that in mind, we are encouraged by all that The Arc community made possible, despite the headwinds we all faced during the 2020-2021 fiscal year. A robust Camp Hope season that provided normalcy for campers of all ages. An in-person school year at Stepping Stones that helped ensure our students received the education and therapies they needed. Extensive planning for 13 of our residences to receive significant upgrades and improvements. These are just [...]

In honor of Developmental Disability Awareness Month, here are some helpful resources to raise awareness about the challenges facing individuals with IDD and their families, and to promote respect, foster understanding, and encourage inclusivity. What are intellectual and developmental disabilities? Intellectual and Developmental Disability FAQ Sheet Working with Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Person-First Language GuideSelf-Advocacy Guide

The Arc of Essex County is now hiring for Camp Hope, our six-acre summer day camp located in East Hanover for children and adults with autism, Down syndrome, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Paid positions include lifeguard, camp counselor, 1:1 behavioral counselor, and nurse, and require a full seven-week commitment. Volunteer “counselor in training” positions participate in all activities involving campers. CITs must be age 14 or older, and have to commit to a minimum of one week. The 2022 camp season will run from July 5 to August 19, with training taking place approximately one week before the start of [...]

The Arc of Essex County’s community inclusion, recreation, and respite consumers gathered for several fun events during the month of February. A Super Bowl Sunday party featured a fun day of activities, including snack making, Super Bowl commercial bingo, and a variety of football-themed games. In honor of Valentine’s Day, the “Be Mine” celebration included making chocolate creations, Valentine crafts, and games over lunch, with a chocolate tasting to close out the festivities. And the month closed out with an Oscar Night party, which included walking the red carpet, making individual stars of fame, filling out an Oscar ballot, and guessing the winners. [...]

It was a festive February for The Arc of Essex County’s day program participants. At the Opportunity Zone in Maplewood, consumers enjoyed dressing in Valentine’s Day red and creating beautiful Valentine cards for loved ones. SYA day program participants in Nutley had their own celebration, which included cookie decorating with treats from Little Baked Miracles. The SYA group also celebrated National Pizza Day with a special trip to UNO Pizzeria in Clifton, where they had lots of fun making their own personal pan pizza and ice cream sundaes. The also learned all about China as part of their global curriculum study. Activities [...]

Valentine’s Day activities, Olympic games, a Lunar New Year celebration, and Black History projects were among the activities keeping Stepping Stones students learning, engaging, and having fun during the month of February. In the Stepping Stones preschool class, the students made special crafts for Valentine’s Day, including “Love You to Pieces” puzzle wreaths. For Black History Month, the class honored Sam Gilliam, recreating his style of art by spray-bottle painting on canvas squares and then squishing them into balls to create texture. February is also Children’s Dental Hygiene Awareness Month, so the children painted the bottom of a seltzer bottle to [...]