Gateways Off To School Program provides transition support for children with additional needs as they prepare to begin mainstream school.
It is facilitated by a team of allied health professionals, which may include Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants working with a group of up to 12 children.
The program is currently only available to our Geelong participants.
Program Aims
To introduce and experience school routines and expectations. Children will practice concepts such as:
Packing and unpacking bags, managing self care routines (lunch, toilet, hats, sunscreen), telling news, lining up, turn taking, playing with peers, listening to and following instructions, transitioning between activities, group activities, table top tasks.
‘Off To School was great at fostering that understanding of routine and making her feel more sure about things. It was a great trial run.’ – Nicole, Gateways parent
Read more about her family’s experience with the Off To School program.
Cost
NDIS participants can fund the program as part of the Capacity Building Daily Activity funding bundle.
Participation Criteria
Anyone who meets the criteria below is welcome to register for this program. You do not need to be a current Gateways client and enrolments will not be prioritised for Gateways clients.
· The child must be enrolled in a mainstream school for 2022,
· It is preferred that the child has attended kindergarten or child care in 2021,
· The child needs to have some verbal skills. Language can be delayed but the group is not suitable for a non-verbal child,
· If the child had KIS funding in 2021 for 3.1 – Risk of injury to self or others, their enrolment will need to be reviewed to ensure their behaviour needs can be met. Additional information from the kindergarten teacher and/or key worker will be requested.
Additional Information
The group maximum is 12 children with 4 children per therapist. Gateways may choose to run two smaller groups if there are too many enrolments for 1 group but not enough for 2 groups of 12. For example – 2 groups of 10 children.
Register now!
Get in early and register your interest for our 2022 program. For any additional queries, please contact us at therapygroupregistrations@gateways.com.au or phone 03 5221 2984 (ext 108).