Young athletes is an innovative spors play program for children with intellectual disabilitie, designed to introduce them to the world of sports prior to the Special Olympics eligibility at age eight. Since its inception in 1968, Special Olympics has established itself as a preeminent global organization offering sports training and competition opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities ages 8 and above. Over the years, families of children too young to compete looked for avenues to join the movement. Special Olympics can now welcome these future athletes and families through Young Athletes — a developmentally appropriate play program for children with imntellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7.
Special Olympics Kentucky will be rolling out Young Athletes Program opportunities in Kentucky throughout the last several months of this year and into 2008. The Young Athletes Program in Kentucky is supported statewide in part by a grant from the WHAS Crusade for Children and is presented in Area 4 (Louisville and surrounding counties) by the PNC Bank Grow Up Great program.
Young Athletes introduces children with intellectual disabilities and their families to the world of Special Olympics by pursuing the following goals:
- Engage children with intellectual disabilities through developmentally appropriate play activities designed to foster physical, cognitive and social development.
- Welcome family members of children with intellecutal disabilities to the Special Olympics network of support.
- Raise awareness about the abilities of children with intellectual disabilities through inclusive peer participation, demonstrations and other events.
Young athletes is a versatile program that can work in various learning situations. The program is designed to be simple enough for families to play with their young athletes at home in a fun atmosphere. It is also appropriate for preschools, schools and playgroups to use with small groups of young children with and without intellectual disabilities. The flexibility of Young Athletes ensures the opportunity to welcome families and their young children into the Special Olympics family.
For more information about the Young Athletes Program in Kentucky or how to implement the program in your area, please contact Mary Dee Boemker or Melissa Hardison in the Special Olympics Kentucky office at 800-633-7403 or via e-mail at mdboemker@soky.org or mhardison@soky.org.
