Site Visit: Family Resource Network and GetFit at Rowan College of Gloucester County By: Christian Tomasetti, Bryan Johnston, Dylan Foster, Mike Bazarnicki,

Site Visit: Family Resource Network and GetFit at Rowan College of Gloucester County By: Christian Tomasetti, Bryan Johnston, Dylan Foster, Mike Bazarnicki, Matt Hindman

Family Resource Network/GetFit at RCGC

What is the Family Resource Network(FRN)? ● O riginally Founded as the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey in 1970 ● Since then the organization has branched out to provide their services to individuals with special needs such as, epilepsy, autism, developmental disabilities, and chronic illness ● Their mission statement is to dedicate and provide these individuals and their families with continuing needs the greatest opportunities, resources, and services to support a full and happy life

GetFit at RCGC ● GetFit is a program that is a part of the FRN ● Its goal is the same as the FRN, although adding the fitness aspect ● Obesity is a concerning issue when it comes to people with disabilities ● GetFit ensures educational services relating to exercise and nutrition as well as trainers and one on one sessions to the clients and their caregivers

Nicole Infante (Site Coordinator) ● Program Coordinator and GetFit Trainer at the Family Resource Network ● Graduate from Rowan with a Bachelor’s degree in HPFM ● ACE Personal Training Certification

Responsibilities ● GetFit Trainer ● Creates projects for interns and in charge of all fundraising ● Teaches Health and Wellness at FRN ● Manages all of GetFits Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)

3 Potential Master’s Degree Programs 1 Special Education Rutgers University 2 Speech Therapy Columbia University 3 Occupational Therapy Quinnipiac University

Special Education- Rutgers University ❖ Ed.M. in Special Education General Studies ➢ provides rigorous coursework and internship experiences for students ➢ develops competencies in the assessment and remediation of students with learning disabilities, collaborative teaching/consultation skills, and knowledge of New Jersey special education laws ➢ Financial Aid: Graduate and Teaching assistantships, Madelyn McCarthy Miller Memorial Scholarship, Ralph Bunche Fellowships program

Speech Therapy- Columbia University ●Accredited by several organizations ○MSCHE, CAEP, & ASHA ●Within first year of enrollment, students being Practicum experience on campus as well as be available for externships for field experience up to 4 days per week ○Duties: On-site treatment of patients, observe assignments, and related supervisory meetings ○Engaged in clinical practice and experience ●Financial Aid: Teacher College General Scholarship, Work studys, RA, TA

Occupational- Quinnipiac University Therapy ❏ 5.5 year entry level program- 4 years undergraduate, 6 credit Graduate summer semester, 1 year Graduate courses ❏ Cost effective, less time in school, intensive curriculum (Must maintain 3.0 GPA to remain in major during Junior/Senior year) ❏ Financial aid: Graduate Assistantships- Students who work over 150 hours per semester earn 3 tuition waiver points; Federal work study- 8-10 hours weekly, paid biweekly

Special Needs Athletics Programs (SNAP) Goal: Raise awareness about the impact students can make in lives of children with autism and other disabilities SNAP participants: Engage in sports, physical activity in safe environments, make friends, provide a platform for their families to connect and support one another SNAP Volunteers Use their knowledge and skills to improve lives of others, spread awareness and acceptance of others, help raise money to raise awareness and so much more.

SNAP cont. SNAP’s motto: “Kids helping kids” All Morristown school districts K-8 taught training Training is free Everyone who volunteers goes through training Participants Pricing Mostly free Some range between $5-$10 per week How it’s useful to someone in the field: It helps promote awareness about people with autism and other disabilities. It also gives you a great experience to touch base in a field everyone needs to learn more about, by also giving back to these children by showing them how to live healthier active lifestyles.

Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped (ASAH) Goal: Ensure the highest standards of service excellence for students and youth with disabilities Members: Are private schools and agencies that serve children with disabilities in New Jersey and are the best the state has to offer in terms of personnel Membership is based on school district, can not individually join, therefore cost is unkown Members go through extensive training Membership Benefits: Improved relationships with public school districts, approval of NJDOE technology plans, professional marketing and public relations support, and much more Participants: Any individual with disability in a school or agency that is a member of ASAH No true cost for your child to be a part of this

ASAH cont. Participants: Provided with multiple different ways to improve learning and general living for those with disabilities How it’s useful to someone in the field: If you are going into the field of special education in New Jersey this would be extremely helpful to be a part of a school district that are members with ASAH. This organization provides various types of training in order to make you considered one of the best professionals in the field of special education the state has to offer.

Autism Family Services of New Jersey (AFSNF) Goal: Ensuring a better quality of life for individuals and their families affected by autism and related disorders from diagnosis throughout adulthood. Members: Volunteers or actual employees working for the organization Must go through training depending on what they are volunteering for Actual employees need to have college degrees in the field Participants: Anyone who signs of for different services and programs Services provide in home training for skills related to the field that range from $25-$100 per hour Some programs you can sign up for help provide knowledge about nutrition, physical activity, and numerous other topics that can help improve the lives of those with autism and other disabilities. These programs run from free to $75 a session.

AFSNJ cont. How it’s useful to someone in the field: Being a volunteer at AFSNJ is extremely useful in multiple ways. It’s a great way to give back to the community by helping those with disabilities. The field constantly needs volunteers and it helps you and helps you help others.

Works Cited "Master of Science." Teacher College: Columbia University. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.. "Quinnipiac Occupational Therapy Master's." Quinnipiac University School of Health Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.. "Special Education General Studies." Rutgers Graduate School of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015..http://gse.rutgers.edu/academic-programs/edm-programs/special-education-general-studies http://www.familyresourcenetwork.org/about-us/ http://www.getfitnj.org http://www.snapclinics.org/index.php http://www.asah.org http://www.autismfamilyservicesnj.org