Florida's Young Athletes Program Expands to Four More Counties in May!

Our brand new Young Athletes Program is growing almost as quickly as its participants! After debuting in Orange County in April, the Young Athletes Program has expanded to Palm Beach, Osceola, Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties and Flagler county is teed up for a June program!

The Special Olympics Young Athletes program is an innovative sports play program for children ages 2-7 with intellectual disabilities and their peers (disabled and non-disabled), designed to introduce them to the world of sports.

Young Athletes Program is one of the fastest growing programs offered by Special Olympics Florida, with over 160 children participating in first month alone!

Family and non-disabled same-age peer participation is encouraged! And like all Special Olympics programs, Young Athletes is offered at no cost to the participant or their family.

One of the recent culminating events was Palm Beach County's "field day," held May 14 at Palm Beach County's Therapeutic Recreation Complex Gymnasium (all photos on page from Palm Beach event). Eleven young athletes from Renaissance Learning Center, a school for children with autism, participated, along with twenty-one volunteers, staff, teachers, parents and grandparents.

The day of skills tests was topped off by a ceremony where all participants received a ribbon and certificate! Palm Beach County Program Director Lisa Kuntzman said "The children demonstrated their learned skills and performed better than ever before with enthusiasm and energy. The laughter and smiles showed everyone how much fun the Young Athletes had at their Field Day!"

The culmination events are both a celebratory event for the Young Athletes who have completed 24 skill-building training sessions, and a chance for educators, recreation specialists, health professionals, and parents of children with special needs to learn about the program, which is offered free of charge to the Young Athletes and their families.

The Special Olympics Young Athletes program was piloted at 12 sites around the world between 2005 and 2007. Special Olympics Florida launched the Program during a Training Workshop for potential trainers and sites in January of 2009 and has a goal of having 25 site programs statewide along with 50 families implementing the program in their homes.

The benefits to this program have been proven worldwide. First and foremost, these activities will help children improve physically, cognitively and socially. It also prepares children to graduate to official Special Olympics training and competition when they turn 8 years old.

The program is designed to address two specific levels of play. Level 1 includes physical activities focused on developing fundamental motor tracking and eye-hand coordination. Level 2 concentrates on the application of these physical activities through a sports skills activity program and developing skills consistent with Special Olympics sports play. The activities will consist of foundational skills, walking & running, balance & jumping, trapping & catching, throwing, striking, kicking and advanced skills.

Family member or educator interested in Young Athletes? Check out our Young Athletes page!