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Celebrate the Children School

The past two weeks introduced a huge change for all of us. We are so very grateful to our students, families, staff, and the Celebrate the Children community for their flexibility, understanding, and support as we all navigate these changes and challenges together. Despite not being together in person, our relationships with each other continue and they energize our mission.

Today we are immersed in the threats and anxiety of the coronavirus and the uncertainty of what’s to come. But we will hold each other and do what is needed to get through this as best we can. In many ways, we are facing daunting challenges and feeling the anxieties that come with these. Whether your challenge is in the form of not knowing how to keep your child with special needs engaged and stimulated at home because school is closed, or you are someone wondering how you are going to pay your mortgage when you can’t work, we at Celebrate the Children just want to validate how difficult this is for everyone.
  
A few days ago, there was a huge, beautiful, double-rainbow spanning our skies here in Northern New Jersey. It brought a moment of peace and serenity and made us think, is there anything positive about this situation? Families are holed up together in their homes, parents are required to be involved in their child’s online learning, moms and dads are getting creative with how to keep their kids active and engaged at home. Is it possible we might view this experience as an opportunity to slow down and re-prioritize our families and close friendships over the day-to-day rat race?
 
Over the next few weeks, we will provide a variety of ways for you to share your thoughts and experiences - the good and the bad - on this concept with us. Many of you have responded to our request to send pictures and videos of how you are “being together” at home for the slide show remake to the song ‘Just Being with You.’ Stay tuned for the release on an upcoming episode of Principal Randy’s Corner.
 
Celebrate the Children is committed to continuing to provide support to those in need and has shared a variety of resources for families caring for children and individuals with ASD and other special needs since our school’s closure. We welcome your ideas and suggestions, as we continue to provide tips and resources, try to answer questions, and focus on what we know best, supporting relationships through play, conversations, and interaction. We encourage your participation and invite you to join us on our Facebook page. 
 
Please stay safe, healthy, and do your best to enjoy this time to “pause” and enjoy the special relationships in your life.


- Monica Osgood, Executive Director, Celebrate the Children