Next Step Ministries in Woodstock Georgia. Therapeutic Day Care for special-needs young adults.

Welcome to Next Step Ministries

Check out our newest video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwY6F0oHN7U

What happens to my special-needs child after high school?

Next Step Ministries is a practical way to fill the gap in services for special-needs young adults who have completed high school and are not able to participate in a job coaching situation, or other day program.

For most of us parents, we work with our child throughout the school years to raise a responsible, respectable, self-reliant individual who will eventually be independent in their living. After high school, our children typically go on to college, a vocational program, or some form of employment.

But what if your child completes high school at age 21 - and still can't feed themselves?

Or communicate with words?
Or needs supervision for basic activities?
Or can't propel their own wheelchair, much less get in and out of it?
Or needs help with toileting?

Many parents wonder what their special-needs child will be doing after high school - and just what that means to the parent's lifestyle as well. As most parents are getting ready to launch their child into the world, parents with a special-needs child are preparing for a greater responsibility in the home. This can include:

Greater financial burdens if they have to pay for in-home care or quit jobs

Greater isolation from friends and other social networks

Greater demands on time

Greater physical challenges if their young adult needs help with moving.

Parents with moderately to profoundly involved special-needs young adults need a readily available full day program to maintain the functional skills learned during school and to provide a safe and loving environment.

Providing this program is the purpose of Next Step Ministries, Inc.

Important dates to Remember

Important Dates in 2012

Planning Ahead March & April

March 9 - Parent Night Out - 6pm - 9pm $15
March 9 - Fulton Co. Teacher Workday - OPEN
March 15 - 16 - Cherokee Co. Furlough Days - OPEN
April 2- 6 - Spring Break Camp

Community Events

February29 - March 1 - "Across the Spectrum" autism/asperger conference at Gwinnett Conference Center, Duluth. Call 770-891-1140 for more information.
April 13-14 - Developmental Disabilities - Opening New Worlds Conference; call 1-888-340-5820 to register.

Jenny's Story

Someplace That's All Her Own

Since Jenny Durio graduated from Kell High School in 2004, she was on a waiting list for a daycare situation where she would be both well cared-for and stimulated to help her thrive and enjoy her days.

Jenny is non-verbal, but uses gestures to communicate her needs, and she understands everything people say to her. Her symptoms don't fit into a specific category, but doctors told her parents that her brain simply didn't develop the way it should have.

Her mother, Nan, says Jenny has “Princess Syndrome” - “she loves music, loves watching people, and if you say the word 'shopping,' she's ready to go.”

Jenny has found a place to call her own at Next Step Ministries in Woodstock, where she has been coming since the day it opened in 2009 – although Nan was on board even before Next Step found a building to start its program.

“It makes me feel good that she starts squealing with excitement the minute we pull up in the parking lot,” Nan says. “She knows this place is for her. She enjoys all of the people here and gets along well with all of them.”

Before starting at Next Step, Nan admits that Jenny was bored at home. “I did what I could for her, but she enjoys coming here,” Nan says. “She enjoys a schedule.”

Next Step's program also has helped Jenny thrive outside of the program. “It has helped her tremendously with her communication skills, and she is relaxed,” Nan says. While Jenny does have a handful of words she uses on a regular basis, she had never said, “Daddy.” After hearing the word used by one of her friends at Next Step, Jenny added “Daddy” to her vocabulary. “That means the world to her dad,” Nan says.

Jenny is happy, and her family is ecstatic, knowing that Jenny has a place where she can be herself and thrive. “It's an answer to my prayers,” Nan says. “We could not have picked a better place, and we are so thankful that this has come available to us.”

Next Step Ministries provides therapeutic day care for moderately to profoundly involved special needs young adults in a safe and loving environment. Saturday Respite for ages 5 and older, and Camp sessions over summer and school breaks are also provided, all conveniently located in Woodstock.

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