Residents from various Arc of Essex County group homes got the opportunity to spread their artistic wings when they attended a class at Studio Arc led by Dario Scholis, an artist well known in the Elizabeth area for his murals and artwork using recycled materials. Scholis demonstrated the use of acrylic paints and encouraged the Studio Arc artisans to express themselves freely. Each participant left with a beautifully matted masterpiece. Located on Passaic Avenue in Fairfield, Studio Arc is The Arc of Essex County’s newest space, and provides visitors with opportunities to engage in a wide range of visual and creative arts [...]

Your support coordinator is a critical part of your family member’s ability to successfully access and maintain services. For families who want to learn more about their options, The Arc of Essex County hosted a “Meet the Support Coordination Agencies” event in January, and has another scheduled for Tuesday, February 7. The first event on January 25 drew a collection of families from throughout Essex County, and each had a chance to chat with more than a dozen Support Coordination Agencies in attendance. Food and respite care were also available. The second night is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7 from 6 to [...]

Gung Hay Fat Choy! The children in the Stepping Stones School’s Transitional Kindergarten class learned about Lunar New Year traditions and how people celebrate. Students learned how to use monkey drums and marched to festive music. They created scratch-art dragons and paper lanterns during art class, and incorporated the 12 Chinese zodiac animals into their weekly yoga class. On January 27, the children wore red and celebrated with a special lunch, including chicken lo mein, vegetable fried rice, almond cookies, Pocky, and oranges. They ended the day doing a dragon dance, in which they held a 12-foot plastic dragon decoration [...]

When Henry moved into the Terrace Avenue group residence last year, it didn’t take long for him to feel at home and to see his housemates as his extended family. “You get to do activities together, go to the park together, I like it,” Henry says. He particularly loves to help with the laundry, watch TV together in the mornings, and eat “delicious chicken and rice” dinners as a group, he says. Henry moved in to Terrace during the summer of 2022, at which time he also started attending Day Programs at The Arc of Essex County’s West Caldwell Hub. There, he [...]

Children will enjoy a variety of fun activities—and parents can enjoy a stress-free date night—when The Arc of Essex County hosts the next Parents’ Night Out event on Friday, February 24 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Studio Arc in Fairfield. The Parents Night Out program provides drop-off nights where children and teens can participate in arts and crafts, games, and more while mom and dad have some time to recharge. The evening costs $20 per child (costs were offset by generous donations to The Arc of Essex County’s Community Recreation Fund), and includes activities and a pizza dinner. Parents Night Out [...]

A new 2022 Ford Transit Connect Passenger Van arrived for the West Caldwell Hub day program participants in January. The van, which was funded through a $35,000 Essex County Community Development Block Grant, has a lower profile, which makes it more easily accessible for some of the West Caldwell attendees. The Arc thanks Essex County for its ongoing support of our organization and the people we serve. Do you have a loved one interested in attending The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Day Services?  Click here to learn more about our programs, and reach out to The Arc of Essex County’s [...]

Celebrating a quarter-century of running and walking for a cause, The Arc of Essex County is hosting the 25th Annual Building Tomorrows 5K Run and Family Walk on Saturday, April 29 at the Clipper Pavilion in West Orange. With support from presenting sponsor PSEG, the inclusive event will feature a scenic 5K race, followed by a fundraising walk and a Fun Fest packed with family-friendly entertainment and activities. All proceeds will directly benefit children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The event promises to be a fun and festive gathering for all ages. The Fun Fest is [...]

Navigating through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process can seem overwhelming, but The Arc of New Jersey is here to help. The Arc has partnered with Hinkle, Prior & Fischer to offer free IEP reviews for families who have questions or concerns about their child's IEP. The session will take place at The Arc of Essex County’s main office (123 Naylon Ave, Livingston) from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28. The session will begin with an overview of parents' rights from 6 to 6:30 p.m. before each family receives an individual 20-minute review with an attorney. Space is limited and [...]

During the month of January, participants in The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Recreation and Community Inclusion program enjoyed a retreat at Studio Arc, a trip to the movies, and weekly bowling excursions. For the Self Care Retreat at Studio Arc on January 8, participants focused on “A Healthy Me in 2023,” learning about good nutrition, the benefits of exercise and a good night’s sleep, and discovering ways to protect themselves and others from illness. The day started with a taco bar in which the participants made their own turkey tacos with lots of healthy toppings. Everyone was encouraged to experiment [...]

The National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG) is undertaking an initiative to expand the available information on dementia for families, agencies, and others and is reaching out to family and other caregivers to help better understand where they get their information and what information might be of most use to them. The NTG developed a brief 15-item survey with questions tapping some key areas related to information and its access. Completing the survey shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, and it does not ask for any identifiers. The information will be used only in aggregate form to [...]