Pathways runs special events each year, such as
our 5K Race & Walkathon, Home Run Derby, Harlem
Wizards Challenge, state workshops and conferences.
We also run ongoing sports, recreational,
educational and
training
programs.
Pathways’ success
begins with what we give, not only to help
children in Montville Township, but also by sharing
these successes with other communities.
Pathways' Programs:
Mentor Program:
Children with disabilities face many obstacles,
but perhaps one of the most daunting is the
feeling of loneliness. If a
child is autistic and cannot speak, how do you
communicate or play with him or her? Pathways
for Exceptional Children has developed a formal
two-hour Mentor Training Program designed to
help everyone understand how children with
disabilities are similar to ourselves, and the
concept of empathy, or “walking in another’s
shoes.” Our trained mentors donate their time to
work with children having special needs in
Recreation, Life Skills, and Home-Based Buddies
Programs. Mentors receive community service
hours while offering friendship, encouragement,
and a greater sense of belonging to these
children and their families.
Team Sports:
Athletics play a key role in a child’s
development. They teach children to follow
rules, take turns, win and lose, develop
discipline, compete, and advocate for
themselves. Participation in sports provides
opportunities to work together as a team,
develop camaraderie and feel a sense of
belonging. Businesses or individuals can sponsor
a team in the following Pathways programs for
children with special needs: a) Basketball,
b) Baseball, c) Rugby, d) Soccer, e) Lacrosse,
f) Tennis. There is a limit of two
sponsors per program — sponsor names will be
printed on the back of T-shirts.
Magic of Reading:
Many children with disabilities, regardless of
their diagnoses, often encounter difficulty
reading. Pathways is expanding our Magic of
Reading program to include an after-school
program for children in preschool through third
grade. This program provides early intervention
and reinforcement of basic reading skills that
are needed as the foundation for success in the
future. It is designed to make reading fun and
keep the child’s motivation high. The program
provides children with mentors who work as
reading buddies, and gives parents training on
how to better work with their children to read
at home.
Learning Through Life:
Children with special needs require
experientially-based learning. They need to
touch and feel something for it to come alive
and have meaning. Pathways has developed the
successful Learning Through Life program
that integrates academics and life skills.
Children are learning math through cooking and
differentiating money by using coins as chips
when playing Bingo. They are getting motivated
to read and write while making grocery lists,
shopping online for a vacation, or making
Talking Books on computers. This program makes
learning academics a creative process integrated
into daily life experiences that teach our
children to achieve greater independence for
life.
Project Win-Win
:
This program will provide training in job
readiness, technology, and basic office skills
for children with special needs 14 and above.
These young adults will partner with mentors
ages 16 and above, who will be trained and hired
as job coaches. Together they will work as teams
under the direction of the class instructor and
be given actual work projects. When the children
with disabilities reach age 16 and are ready to
enter a more formalized employment environment,
Pathways will begin to transition them into
actual employment settings with their job
coaches.
For more
information about Pathways and program
sponsorships, please contact Melinda Jennis,
973-334-9240 or email
mvtpec@aol.com.
