The Jeffrey Foundation
The Jeffrey Foundation
Thirty-Nine Years of Service
The Jeffrey Foundation was started in 1972 by a young mother unable to find day care for her adopted son, Jeffrey, who had muscular dystrophy. She sought out other parents in similar circumstances, and what began as an informal recreation and support group has evolved into the remarkable agency it is today, internationally acclaimed as a pioneer in improving and enriching the lives of physically and developmentally disabled children. Jeffrey died in 1980. But the foundation that bears his name remains a tender monument to a loving son and a lifeline for other special needs children and their families.
The Jeffrey Foundation has grown from a modest, $60,000-per-year childcare program to today’s multi-program organization. We have provided services to thousands of special needs children and their families, including Infant Intervention, Early Education, vacation camps, a Boy Scout troop, group homes for severely disabled teenagers, social work, after-school programs, and parent training.
The Jeffrey Foundation is the only agency in Los Angeles that provides a full continuum of services to children with an extensive range of disabling physical and developmental conditions.
We serve children with a full range of illnesses and disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism, crippling accidents, sight, speech and hearing impediments, and in utero drug abuse.
The Jeffrey Foundation has taken the lead in our community in providing full inclusionary practices, workshops, and services such as information assistance, community integration, outreach, pediatric health care prevention and services, family transportation, child/family advocacy, and child care provider education.
The proven benefits of our programs include reinforcement of basic skills learning; development of desirable behaviors; increased independence; self-expression; an environment free from the pressures that often exist in a mainstream setting; and fun!
Our Kids & Our Families
Our programs target — and 95% of our clientele come from — low-income and poverty level families.
Nicholas was born with a condition so rare his parents had to seek out-of-state medical care. When he came to the Jeffrey Foundation, he was eight months old and could not stand, crawl, or lie on his stomach, and he was only able to sit for a brief 10 minutes. After four years in our programs, Nicholas shed the stigma of physical and developmental delay, and progressed to the point where he’s now a very confident second grader in a Santa Monica public school.
The Jeffrey Foundation’s Infant Intervention program is for children birth to 3, and operates Monday through Friday, with morning and afternoon sessions available. The program was developed to meet the increasing need for programs for infants who are or are at risk of becoming developmentally delayed. Program components include professional speech and occupational therapy in conjunction with experienced teachers to increase individualized skill enhancement in an inclusive setting.
Our Early Intervention program is NAEYC accredited and serves children 18-36 months, in a fully inclusionary setting. The program operates Monday-Friday, with full- and half-day options available, and serves as a transition between Infant Intervention and Early Education. The focus is on six core areas: gross motor skills; fine motor skills; cognitive skills; language/communication; self-help; and social and emotional development. In this way, we prepare toddlers for pre-school by teaching them new skills and instilling a feeling of independence in each child.
The Infant/Toddler Child Care Program is a fully inclusionary program for children birth to 2, and is designed to meet the child care needs of both special needs and typical children in the community by providing services in an inclusive setting to families who may be unable to find quality childcare.
The Foundation’s Early Education/Pre-School Readiness Program is an all-day program for children ages 3-6, and also features spring, summer, and winter camps. The program focuses on preparing children for the rigors of school by promoting skills such as socialization and interaction.
For many of our children, this is their first opportunity to play with other children, or interact with adults other than their caregivers and relatives. Activities include imaginative play, storytelling, games and puzzles using fine motor skills, and educational computer software. Skill development activities are enhanced by the support of both speech and occupational therapists as needed.
The Jeffrey Foundation offers two After-School Programs: a therapeutic/academic program for children 5-14, and a High School program.
Our school-age children attend special education classes in public schools and participate in Jeffrey Foundation activities after school and special events on weekends and during vacations. For each child, we establish a specialized curriculum that ensures progress and self-confidence will develop naturally. One of our main goals is to mainstream children into regular school whenever possible. The program’s mission is to give children the chance to grow individually at their own pace with the vision of making the transition into mainstream environments. Activities include dramatic play, cultural sensitivity activities, team sports, games and time on the computer.
Our high school program targets the maturing needs of teenagers by helping them enter adulthood with as many options open to them as possible. Life skills activities include computer instruction, Internet usage and data base entry. Social activities focus on inter-personal skills, gender relations, good grooming and appropriate social behavior. Just like all teenagers, special needs teenagers go through significant life changes during their high school years. By preparing special needs teens for adulthood, the Jeffrey Foundation gives them an important advantage toward fulfilling their potential.
The Jeffrey Foundation also offers the following programs:
o Beyond the Bell
o Mommy & Me
o LAUP
o Parent Training & Support
Children in our programs achieve a 40-60% improvement overall in skill levels.
Success rates for the families we serve are also significant, with an overall goal completion rate of 85%.
The primary goal of each of our programs is to promote independence and help our clients and their families achieve the highest possible level of functioning.
Looking Toward the Future
The Jeffrey Foundation Special Child & Family Resource Center & Academy.
The Center serves as a single point of entry to services that meet the ongoing and emerging needs of all families with disabled children and children with special needs in Los Angeles County.
The Center provides education and skills training, information, counseling, guidance, and peer support for families with the unexpected diagnosis of and ongoing impact of childhood disabilities. It offers support to help the families and primary caregivers of special needs and disabled children to reduce their stress levels, prevent child abuse and neglect, diminish feelings of isolation, and assist them in accessing health services.
For more information, contact: 323/965-7536
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