Summer at In Stepps!

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.  ~Henry James

Summer is upon us! We here at In Stepps LOVE Summer time. What is better than incorporating water balloons, squirt bottles, swimming pools, and other fun outdoor activities into sessions with the kiddos? These are great opportunities for introducing novel and motivating play, expanding on language, working on new play skills,  facilitating peer interactions, and more! What is your favorite Summer activity to do with your kids? We would love to hear your ideas!

Some exciting Summer events are coming up at In Stepps! Parent's Night Out will be on Friday June 29th from 6:30-9:30! Please be sure to RSVP ASAP if you would like your child to join us. Next month we will be offering another Parent's Day Out (back by popular demand) on July 28th from 11am-2pm. We are also in the process of planning our First Family Night Out event which should take place sometime in July/August and our First In Stepps Family Picnic in September! In Stepps will also be offering Summer Camp options starting in August. So keep a lookout for dates and information on how to register!

(On a side note, In Stepps will be turning TWO in July! Can you believe it?!)

So we've got the kids covered. But we also have some cool opportunities for parents, specifically dads! If you are looking for the perfect Father's Day gift... this could be it! Give the dad in your life the gift of knowledge! In Stepps is offering a 2-Session Parent Education series on proactive discipline strategies JUST FOR DADS! Psychologist Eliza DelPizzo-Cheng, Ph.D.,BCBA-D, will teach dads the “why” of challenging behavior and doable behaviorally-based parenting strategies. This series is designed for father's of children with developmental disabilities, but is relevant for any Dad. The series will be on August 1st & 8th from 7-9pm at the In Stepps office. Cost: $225 (includes a workbook). Sign up and give Dad tools he can use everyday! Call In STEPPS at 949.474.1493 for registration information or email Dr. DelPizzo eliza@instepps.com-- Limit 15 dads
In lieu of Summer, we do have a couple of administrative reminders for our In Stepps families:

1.) Remember to fill out your Summer and Fall availability forms that should have already been provided by your PC and/or Supervisor. These forms will help us accommodate your child's schedule for the Extended School Year (ESY) and any school changes that will occur in the fall. Also, please inform us ASAP if your family will be going on a vacation this Summer. If you have not received the form yet, please ask your Case Supervisor so we can have it on file. We need 2 weeks to accommodate changes and requests. As a reminder, we cannot commit to temporary schedule changes due to short term camps, family outings, etc.

2.) If you would like your child to participate in water activities such as swimming, please ensure we have the Water Activities Consent Form on file for your family/child. If you have filled this form out during a previous Summer with In Stepps, there is no need to fill out another one. We are ready to swim when you are! Ask your Supervisor for the consent and inform your Supervisor in advance for scheduling any swimming or water activity plans.

In other In Stepps news... Have you had a chance to check out our AMAZING new website? We worked extremely hard on the new features and design and we are very proud of the end result. There are several convenient additions for our families including a Calendar of Events section where you can check out upcoming events and programs as well as a Newsletter. Be sure to subscribe to the Newsletter by entering your email address on the home page. You can see the new website in all it's glory here: http://www.instepps.com/

If you would like to be connected even more to In Stepps, make sure you "like" us on Facebook! There you will find a lot of information not featured on our blog, including community events, pictures, resources, coupons, fun links, and more. Once you "like" our page, all updates can be found directly in your personal news feed. Our Facebook Page is here! Check it out and leave us some comments!

Many of you have recently received a letter from Regional Center of Orange County (RCOC) regarding your child's services and insurance coverage under the new SB946 law. We understand that many of you have questions, concerns, and general confusion regarding the upcoming changes and how to obtain insurance coverage. In Stepps is committed to assisting your family through this process and support you in any way we can. We have a FAQ post that we will be sharing with you shortly that addresses many of the questions you may have. Keep an eye out! We will post on Facebook as soon as it is posted and ready to go. In the meantime, please feel free to call us at (949) 474-1493 or email info@instepps.com if you have any issues so we can support you through it. Also, please be sure to fill out the Insurance Information Form/Consent that your Supervisor has brought out to you so we can help with the communication between your family and insurance company.

Finally, we have two more In Stepps Stars to brag about! Can you guess who they are?? Stay tuned!