230 Diamond Spring Road Denville, New Jersey 07834
Happy New Year! What a great start we have had to 2026! CTC is celebrating so many positive developments in the coming months and we are thrilled to share them with you. To start, we were contacted by a television show called “All Access with Andy Garcia” to conduct a documentary on our program. What an honor! The show will be broadcasted in April to shine a bright light on Autism Awareness Month and will be called "Breaking Boundaries for Autism.” There is a focus and interest in the DIR® Model and how that is infused in an educational setting We cannot wait to show the world all of the amazing things happening in our community. It is really important that we continue to take steps forward and to continue to look at the newest research that is showing the importance of not only the sensory-motor areas but overall executive functioning and the impact of getting the students to think not just “do.” In addition, the impact of using multiple modalities and tools to support communication This is a huge and important focus It is critical as the bridge to access intellect and demonstrate comprehension and knowledge We know it is in there! When we BELIEVE, we Succeed
We hope you have noticed that we took your feedback from the training surveys and have implemented them. In January, I am proud to announce that there are 8 parent trainings planned based on your feedback! Each month, this will continue and cover a range of developmental age ranges and topics. Feel free to reach out as ideas come about and we will add.
A special thank you to all who have contributed to our Annual Campaign Appeal. We are very grateful for your support Please mark your calendars for our 2nd Annual Neurodiversity Walk, which is quickly approaching. The date is April 19, 2026. More information will be emailed and posted on our social media We have streamlined and made the process easier to build your team and secure donations. For any questions, please contact Kristin Polster at kpolster@celebratethechildren.org.
Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!
Regards,
Student Spotlight StudentSpotlight
Each month, one randomly selected CTC student shares their school experience and what makes them unique!
JanuaryStudentoftheMonth: Isla!
January Student of the Month: Isla!
Max: Hi, Isla. Congrats on Student Spotlight!
What is your favorite thing about school?
Isla: Reading and friends.
Max: I enjoy learning through reading. What do you want to be when you grow up? Isla: Police officer.
Max: What are your favorite passions? Isla: Drawing.
Max: I wish I was better at art. I like your headphones. Isla: Thank you!
Max: Who is your favorite person in school or at home? Isla: The students.
Max: I love my friends, too. Do you enjoy art class? Isla: Yes!!!
Max: Thank you, Isla. You are a nice girl. Isla: Thank you!
Interview conducted by Y.A.P. student Max. Thank you to Ms. Nicole and Ms. Josephine for facilitating!
Staff S
mazing staff share their CTC stories, obbies, and professional motivations!
JanuaryStaffMemberoftheMonth: SherryRich!
January Staff Member of the Month: Sherry Rich!
Q: What job do you have at CTC?
A: I am the Administrative Assistant for the CARES Department
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: My favorite part of my job has been getting to work with the best group of people. I also really enjoy getting to know the students, even though I don't work with them directly.
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of CTC?
A: I am an avid reader. I read daily, and last year, I read 70 books!
Q: What inspires you most?
A: The kindness and compassion in others always inspires me. There are so many good people in the world!
Q: What are your hopes for the future?
A: I hope to retire and live somewhere warm, near a beach. I also hope to see my daughter be successful, happy, and healthy.
Q: Is there anything that you would like to tell your colleagues?
A: I would like to tell my colleagues how much I appreciate their support. This was a new job for me starting last January after retiring from teaching, and it was a big change Everyone here at CTC has made me feel welcomed and appreciated, and for that I am very grateful!
CTC CommunityCTCC
Celebrate the Children is deeply grateful for all of the wonderful community partners we and our students are fortunate to work with. Every month, we shine a light on just one of the many amazing establishments in our community.
Brewing Opportunity Together: Ethan and the Bean BrewingOpportunityTogether:EthanandtheBean
Celebrate the Children is proud to share a new internship and community partnership with Ethan and the Bean through their Coffee University program at the Morristown location We are honored to be the first group to participate in Coffee University at this site, offering our students an authentic opportunity to engage in real work within a vibrant community setting.
Ethan and the Bean is a nonprofit coffee shop created several years ago with a mission to build meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities Founded by Pam Donovan, the café grew from a vision rooted in inclusion, dignity, and purpose. What began as a single location has since expanded, and Ethan and the Bean now operates two community cafés, extending its reach and impact.
The connection between Ethan and the Bean and Celebrate the Children runs deep Ethan, a Celebrate the Children alum and the inspiration behind the café, continues to be an active and valued partner in the business. His artwork is featured and sold in the store, and his presence remains woven into the heart of the space. As a school community, we watched Pam set out on this journey and believed from the start that the Donovan family would succeed Coming back together now, with our students learning and working in a space shaped by that shared history, feels like a true full circle moment and one amazing space of connection between past, present, and future.
Through Coffee University, students participate in hands-on café work and structured training experiences that reflect real workplace expectations. Our job coaches, including Alyssa and Brian, have shared that the internship allows students to rotate through different coffee related tasks, follow routines and checklists, and build confidence by contributing meaningfully to the daily flow of the café
Student voices capture the impact of the experience clearly. Ishan shared, “I like Ethan and the Bean. I love making the coffee. It’s fun.” Jordan added, “I do like it there. It’s real work. I feel important.” Their reflections speak directly to what this partnership represents, students showing up, being valued, and seeing themselves as capable contributors in the community
We are incredibly grateful to Ethan and the Bean for welcoming our students and for continuing to model what inclusive employment can look like when vision, heart, and community come together We look forward to growing this partnership and continuing to support opportunities that honor our students, our alumni, and the broader community we share
- Vanessa Graves Foster, Vice Principal for High School and Y.A.P. at Celebrate the Children School
Education HQ EducationHQ
From internships, to specials, C.B.I.s, and more, Education HQ features topical program initiatives each month!
Life Skills Airport LifeSkillsAirport
Right before holiday break, our Life Skills course truly took flight as students explored different modes of transportation in the most engaging way possible: by transforming their classroom into a fully immersive airport experience.
Grounded in DIR® and Floortime principles, this hands-on experience invited students to learn through connection, curiosity, and meaningful participation. Rather than simply talking about transportation, students experienced it step-by-step in a way that honored their individual developmental profiles.
Students moved through every phase of the journey: handling and presenting a ticket, navigating a security checkpoint, scanning items, and learning why certain belongings may be taken by TSA for safety. They found and sat in an assigned seat, listened to flight attendant instructions, chose a snack during the flight, and collected personal items at baggage claim
Throughout the experience, staff intentionally met students where they were. Skills such as regulation, communication, flexibility, waiting, and problem-solving were supported in real time within a joyful and predictable structure You might not realize how many foundational life skills are embedded in an experience like this.
Both students and staff brought enthusiasm, creativity, and collaboration to every part of the journey Experiences like this are foundational to who we are as a school: learning that is functional, relational, and deeply respectful of each learner.
A special kudos to Ms Madeleine, our Life Skills teacher, for continually designing authentic and meaningful learning experiences Her ability to bring real-world learning to life while honoring each student’s strengths is something truly special.
- Vanessa Graves Foster, Vice Principal for High School and Y A P at Celebrate the Children School
Floortime Floortime
Floortime is the heartbeat of CTC.
Learn more about Floortime and the DIR® model here each month.
Winter Sledding WinterSledding
This past month, the lower elementary classes have been making the most out of the cold weather and practicing their sledding skills during Floortime! Being stuck inside during the snowy winter months can often feel boring and frustrating, leading to dysregulation and a lack of engagement. To fight off the winter blues, our staff and students are braving the elements to work on our problem-solving and motor-planning skills in an exciting, collaborative way! Through this classic winter play activity, the Floortime specialist and classroom staff are able to create an action-packed Floortime environment that playfully challenges our students and pushes them out of their comfort zones.
While standing at the bottom of the freshly snow-covered hill, Ms. Danielle’s students were faced with a challenge: How do we get up that hill without slipping? The students needed to use their problem-solving and motor-planning skills in order to get to the top of the hill without sliding down Students tried walking up normally, crawling, and jumping, but walking with their feet sideways seemed to work the best. Staff fostered confidence and resilience by modeling action steps and cheering on the students as they climbed, o a smile.
Students were overjoyed once they reached the top of the hill, eager to sled down and start the process all over again. Students practiced negotiation and patience while waiting for their turn to sled, as well as social skills through peer interaction Floortime can present itself in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes the best sessions are found at the top of a snowy hill!
- Nicole Swistack, Floortime Specialist
Spelling to Communicate SpellingtoCommunicate
Spelling to Communicate (S2C) is a powerful practice that allows non-speaking individuals to communicate their thoughts through typing or utilizing a letterboard. Celebrate the Children is proud to empower and amplify their voices.
While this year has been flying by, we have been busy building the Alternative Communication Department at Celebrate The Children.
We are thrilled to announce that two of our employees have chosen to pursue their Spelling to Communicate (S2C) Practitioner certification through the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) This is an intensive six-and-a-half month training program with a final “internship” on-site at a clinic providing S2C.
Jackie Boll just completed her internship in Atlanta, Georgia in December and is working hard to complete her certification requirements in the next few weeks. She started working at CTC this year in the AC Department; however, she has had a longstanding relationship with the school, working as a paraprofessional in the past and also is a twin sibling to one of our alumni who is a proficient typer. She and her family have been an integral part of CTC and the typing/spelling community for many years We look forward to the enthusiasm she brings to the department and the genuine love she has for our students.
Jen Ahluwalia, who has a longstanding relationship with CTC as a paraprofessional and, more recently, as a Communication and Regulation Partner (CRP) in our department, is currently in the midst of her S2C Practitioner training. She is proudly crushing it and earning perfect scores on many of her assignments. She has many years of experience working with students who type and spell, and is a strong support person for those who utilize these methods to communicate She will be doing her internship this spring and we look forward to all her passion continuing in helping our students communicate
The more staff we are able to have trained, the more students we are able to help! Thank you to both of you for taking on this challenging course and being committed to our students!
- Lisa Romaine, S2C Practitioner at Celebrate the Children
Behavior Team BehaviorTeam
The Behavior Team provides insights and tools to support student success, at school and at home
Gaming Club GamingClub
Peer relationships play a crucial role in child development because they shape how children learn to think, feel, and interact with others outside their family.
In collaboration with other disciplines, CTC’s Behavior Analysts will be running a Gaming Club for students throughout the coming months to work on crucial social skills. Students will be encouraged to teach others how to play novel games, work together to reach a common goal, and display good sportsmanship.
Students will be involved in the process as much as possible, including creating the rules and expectations of the club, and choosing what games to play.
The goal of this club is to provide students with more opportunities to build friendships, understand perspective taking, increase emotional regulation and frustration tolerance, as well as increase their confidence and problem solving skills within a group setting.
- Anthony Hellman, Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at Celebrate the Children
C
.A.R.E.S. Corner C.A.R.E.S.Corner
C.A.R.E.S. stands for Counseling, Advocacy and Resources for Educational SupportOur School Social Workers and Counselors are here to support you and your child.
TheDevelopmentalStagesofPuberty
The Developmental Stages of Puberty
The CARES Department will be hosting a two-part training series on the Developmental Stages of Puberty. The intention of the series is to educate and support parents. We will be covering current data and research, and what to expect for your child during this time physically, socially, and emotionally. We will also discuss tips on how to begin navigating conversations with your child in a developmentally appropriate way. These training sessions will be held at CTC school during the day. There will be the opportunity for a question and answer portion for both live and virtual attendees. The training sessions will be recorded so that following these events, the training sessions can be added to the parent resource page of our CTC website. Flyers for these events will be forthcoming. Please be on the lookout for these two great events!
1st Training Session - Parents of Students in Grades 3, 4, & 5 -
Bailey and Kelly will be teaching this training class. This session will be focused on 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students We will discuss what happens during this developmental stage for your child. We will be covering specifically what happens to their bodies, as well as helping your child understand their mood changes, and the importance of hygiene.
2nd Training Session - Parents of Students in Grades 6, 7, & 8 -
Joanne, Danielle, and Mike will be teaching this training class This training will be focused on 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students. We will discuss what happens during this developmental stage for your child We will be covering specifically what happens to their bodies, the importance of hygiene, and the importance of personal space We will go over what is appropriate touch, consent and boundaries, and private versus public behavior.
- Kelly Parrella, School Social Worker
Physical Therapy PhysicalTherapy
Initiatives and activity recommendations from our Physical Ther
Winter Gross Motor Activity Ideas WinterGrossMotorActivityIdeas
At Celebrate The Children, we understand the value of gross motor movemen developmental and regulatory needs of our students. It is so important for ou stay active and moving, especially in the winter months when the weather is n trips to the playground and outdoor play are limited Gross motor play is esse developing and maintaining movement, coordination, balance, and strength plenty of indoor gross motor games that can get kids moving and energized have incorporated a few ideas that can be used at home for carry over as a families to connect and move together. Here are a few ideas that have adap recommendations to support play based activities in your home
1.Obstacle Course - Transform your living room or hallway into an exciting course! Create tunnels, climbing areas, and balance beams using pillows furniture, and blankets Kids can crawl under, jump over, and walk along d obstacles to complete the course To make it challenging and competitiv to see how fast they can complete the course This activity helps build str coordination and also strengthens problem-solving skills as the child figur to navigate through each obstacle.
2 Dance Party - Put on the music your child loves and have a dance party structured by creating a mini dance routine, or playing “freeze dance” wh stops dancing when the music pauses. This activity works on coordination balance and is sure to get everyone ’ s energy up!
3 Balloon Volleyball - This is an easy to set up game that only requires a s balloon Use a string to create a “net” across a room and then play volleyball with your child by hitting the balloon back and forth to each other over the net The balloo moves slowly, allowing your child time to respond and volley it back. Alternatively, you can affix the balloon to a string suspended from the ceiling and the child can practic tapping the balloon These activities work on hand/eye coordination and increasing the speed of reflexes
4.Indoor Bowling - Set up a bowling alley in your hallway or living room using empty plastic bottles as pins and a soft ball as the bowling ball. Take turns rolling the ball to knock down the pins This activity works on improving hand/eye coordination
5 Parachute Play - This activity involves the whole family! Use a large sheet or shower curtain and get the whole family to hold the edges and wave it up and down Place lightweight balls or stuffed animals on top of the parachute and see if you can move the parachute without them falling off. Practice moving around in a circle as a group experimenting with “fast” and “slow” Allow the children to run underneath the parachute to the other side This activity works on teamwork, taking turns, coordination, and rhythm.
Indoor gross motor play is an excellent way to keep kids active and engaged, especially when they can’t go outdoors These activities help improve strength, balance, coordination, and also provide an opportunity for creativity, teamwork, and lots of fun!
-
Christi Dellaratta, Physical
Children
A
Occupational The
look into our Occupational Therapists’ involvement in student development at CTC.
Connect Experience Write (CEW)™ Relaunch
Here at Celebrate the Children, we ’ re excited to place a renewed focus on handwriting as an important life skill that is connected to literacy As children learn to write letters, many parts of their brains are activated, and they start to recognize those letters in their world Handwriting remains a vital skill for learning, creativity, and communication Our goal is to make handwriting an enjoyable part of learning that supports overall academic growth We believe every child can benefit from learning to write by hand Typing is important too It’s not handwriting or typing it’s handwriting and typing. Each one supports and strengthens the other.
Therefore, the Occupational Therapy Department is relaunching Connect Experience Write (CEW)™ with the elementary classes CEW is an innovative, relationship based handwriting program developed by occupational therapists Carrie Davis MS, OTR/L and the late Michele Parkins MS, OTR/L, IMH-E, FAOTA. The pre-writing program utilizes movement, music and visual supports to teach underlying foundational skills for handwriting. The second part of the program teaches letter formation starting with whole body movement, while also using musical tones to match the movements and create letters. Last month, we were grateful to have Carrie Davis, MS, OTR/L come to CTC to re-introduce the program to our occupational therapists (OTs), elementary teachers, and administration.
The students have started using the CEW Pre-Writing Program in the classrooms and during Related Service Groups The program utilizes interactive songs and activities that incorporate whole body movements to the beat of music This helps students identify top, middle, bottom, left and right parts of their bodies, all of which are important developmental concepts needed for handwriting The musical transitions encourage the students to wake up the body parts (shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers) that are needed to write Gross motor movements (mirror movements) are done along with musical tones to form the foundational writing strokes; including vertical lines, horizontal lines, curves, and diagonal lines With CEW, the letters are introduced according to the developmental writing strokes; vertical and horizontal lines first, followed by curves and then diagonals The occupational therapists and teachers develop creative, complimentary activities to promote letter identification and formation Some of these activities include: rolling a heavy ball along a large letter taped on the floor, tracing letters on different tactile mediums (sand, shaving cream, gel), and using playdough to form letters. Once the students are ready for the CEW Writing Program, they will use writing templates, beginning foundationally with the vertical and horizontal capital letters (E,L, F, I, T, H) then progress to curved capital letters (D,B, P) and then finally, diagonal capital letters (K). Pairing musical tones with gross motor movements and writing strokes allows for a multimodal approach to develo skills. Additionally, incorporating visual templates with the a support of the music tones, strengthens the foundational vi skills necessary for writing.
Celebrate the Children is looking forward to fully re-launch strengthen our students’ handwriting skills in a fun, creative way, allowing our students to Connect, Experience and Wri
- Lisa Bruno, OTD, OTR , Occupational Therapist at Celebra
Speech-Language Pathologists detail their work at CTC and provide options for furthering communication at home.
Bluebee Pals BluebeePals
The speech department has a new and exciting tool!
The Bluebee Pals organization donated 28 of their “talking tech buddies” as part of their Bluebee Pals proj to Celebrate the Children A Bluebee Pal is a smart stuf animal that connects to bluetooth to produce audio fro any device and becomes animated by moving its mouth
Bluebee Pals support communication, language use, attention, sensory processing, imagination, and play skil through an interactive stuffed animal Character option for the toy include: a stuffed bear, a zebra, a lamb, a m features that can be incorporated into therapy sessions AAC devices, which reinforces the child’s agency to act utterances It can also be used to sing songs, connect w Bluebee Pal’s app contains educational games, books t ve rooms that simulate various activities of daily living (e g meals)
ce p , se engagement, and increase confidence in using AAC devices
The Bluebee Pals allow students to target their speech and language goals through pretend play such as engaging with the tool during conversations in dramatic play scenarios
In addition, this teaching tool allows students to learn and target their goals with the Bluebee Pal as their clinician through a play-based and low-pressure approach Bluebee pals have also been used by our physical therapists and occupational therapists to model exercises, provide directions, target life skills, and work on the alphabet and phonics
The response to this playful and interactive toy has been positive and highly motivating for our students, as evidenced with “gleam in the eye ” and improved engagement
Celebrate the Children is grateful to The Bluebee Pals Organization for providing a lovely tool that honors our children’s play capacities and communication diversity We look forward to the many opportunities to use this tool across therapeutic disciplines
- Taylor Park, Speech-Language Pathologist at Celebrate the Children
Parent Trainings ParentTrainings
Upcoming workshops and events designed to strengthen the home–school connection. Highlighting opportunities for parents to learn, share, and partner with the school in supporting every child’s growth and success.
Upcoming January 2026 Parent Trainings
January 21st 1:30pm - Parent Healing Group with Glenn
January 21st 6:30pm - Transitioning from Entitlements to Eligibility (Virtual Webinar presented by The Division of Developmental Disabilities)
January 22nd 10:00am - Parent Partnering: Functional Play Using the DIR® Model
January 28th 6:30pm - Transition and Support Coordination (Virtual Webinar Presented by Spectrum Counseling and Care Management)
We invite you to join us on January 22 , 2026, at 10:00 AM for a hands-on and engaging workshop, “Functional Play Using the DIR® Model”, presented by Antoinette and Beth.
This interactive session will explore how everyday play activities like stacking blocks, rolling a ball, or feeding a doll can be powerful tools for developing your child’s thinking, language, social, and motor skills.
Participants will learn practical strategies to make play both meaningful and fun, discover ways to connect with their child through shared engagement, and gain insights into supporting their child’s growth using the DIR/Floortime approach.
This workshop offers valuable techniques to enrich playtime and strengthen relationships while fostering essential developmental skills
- Celebrate the Children's Developmental, Training, and Support Department
