Many exciting and new things have been happening lately at the Yachad Long Island Center. The center, which houses an elementary school (IVDU), adult program, and social recreational programming, is now in its second year in the Five Towns community. Yachad is currently celebrating its 35th year of inclusion, and is proud to have recently grown into the Five Towns area, providing their many services and programming to meet the needs of the community.
The Adult Day and Vocational Program at Yachad share a beautiful space within the center, which serves as a common ground for the participants before embarking on community excursions geared towards developing the tools and skills needed for meaningful employment and volunteering. In honor of Thanksgiving, the Day Hab visited the Nassau County Police 5th Precinct to show their gratitude, delivering beautiful Yachad Gifts baskets, packed and prepared by individuals in the Brooklyn vocational and day program. The police were thrilled to welcome the Day Hab participants into the 5th precinct and took the participants for a tour of the building. The Yachad Day Hab participants were honored to be able to give thanks and appreciation to those who serve and protect our community.
Yachad Long Island hosts many exciting and inclusive events, bringing together local students and Yachad participants on a weekly basis. Pizza & Parsha and Bowl-A-Rama are two incredible biweekly events that are well-attended and anxiously awaited by all the participants! Additionally, Yachad takes pride in offering unique events that celebrate holidays and other monthly calendar events. On December 2, Yachad participants and their families celebrated a Magical Chanukah Party in the LI Center. A spectacular magic show, musical candle lighting, and delicious doughnuts and latkes were enjoyed by all.
Based out of North Woodmere, IVDU elementary school currently offers a warm and professional environment with a high staff-to-child ratio, and veteran certified special-education teachers and therapists with years of experience in the field. As the only local self-contained special education program serving grades K–5, in a highly specialized and individualized setting, IVDU is a rare gem within the community. Dr. Sara Seplowitz, the esteemed IVDU principal, describes it as “an all-inclusive, academic, special-education program. Our program is highly individualized to meet the unique needs of each student. In any given day students may be learning math, reading, alef beis, or STEM, then have therapy in our state-of-the-art sensory gym, all while developing social-emotional skills at opportunities embedded throughout the day. We are empowering our students with the life skills and tools for success.”
To find out more about any of the Yachad-related services and offerings or to schedule a tour, please call Meira at 516-730-9255 or email Sametm@ou.org.
