Meredith's Message - October

As we move into the holiday season, we find ourselves still navigating the challenges presented by the pandemic.  At CFEC, we are thankful each day for the creativity and talents of our team, board, and volunteers who are coming together to re-imagine the special events that bring our children, families, and supporters together each year. Amidst this challenging time for our community, it is more important than ever to create moments of joy and inspiration to energize us all.  This is especially true for our families, for whom the current crisis has amplified the daily struggles, and life challenges, that children with disabilities and their families face.CFEC is grateful for each opportunity to see our children and families smile – some of our socially-distanced and masked favorites from this fall:

• A parent bringing a food truck to campus to treat students and staff. (Watch ADORABLE VIDEO here).
• Our typical siblings coming together in person again for Sibshops.
• A unicorn stopping by to surprise our youngest learners on the playground.
• A virtual walk through the gardens with our horticulture therapists for children and parents who are still learning at home.

We cannot wait for our children and families to experience our first ever Jingle Drive Thru.  We may not be able to host 500 children and families for a pancake breakfast, games, and photos with Santa this year – BUT we can discover new ways to bring holiday cheer.  Families will enjoy a drive through experience with in-car activity stops to fill their stockings, characters from their favorite movies and stories, miniature horses, and more surprises!Last, but certainly not least, we are incredibly thankful to be celebrating ten weeks of having our youngest learners back at school and looking forward to welcoming back school-age students soon at The Children’s Center and The Special Children’s School.  Thank you to each of our families, students, staff, and board members whose daily dedication to following our prevention protocols is keeping our school community safe!In gratitude, Meredith