2019 Golden Teddy Awards — Camps + Classes
Photo:
Courtesy SANCA — School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts
Extraordinary Camp for Kids With Special Needs
Winner: SANCA — School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts
SANCA — School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts offers individual lessons, group lessons, classes with inclusion, and camps that benefit children and adults with a range of special needs in its Every Body’s Circus program. Cooler still: Instructors work to meet the specific needs of students in all the classes at SANCA. That’s because the school’s instructors break down every magnificent circus art into small, learnable steps, with the belief that “circus is for every body.”
Finalists
Camp Korey empowers children living with serious medical conditions by offering life-changing camp experiences year around, all for free. The camp garners votes for its traditional summer camp weeks, gorgeous Mount Vernon setting and professional staff. Most frequently noted, though, is “the invaluable chance for kids with special needs to just be able to act and be treated like kids at a fun camp without focusing on their disabilities.”
The votes are in: Parents are glad for Rosemary White’s Pediatric Physical & Occupational Therapy Services’ Floortime Summer Camp. At this four-week, three-hour-a-day camp, each camper is given the one-on-one support they need to help them engage in free play with their peers. “Amazing staff and experience for kids on the spectrum!” enthuses one voter.
Year after year, parents pile up the votes for Seattle Children’s PlayGarden. Located in South Seattle, these inclusive, nature-based summer camps welcome campers of all abilities, ages 1–18. One thankful parent wrote on her ballot, “Absolutely magical garden and amazing, caring staff.”
Social Skillz Theatre School of Tacoma is a place where neurodiverse children and teens (grades 3–12) learn social and emotional skills in a supportive environment. Week-long camps incorporate games, arts and collaborative activities to teach these skills in a hands-on way, while its month-long theater camp culminates in a performance production during the last three days of camp.
