In This Issue:
- Upcoming Events At-a-Glance
- People of PCDA
- Support PCDA
- Programs & Services
- Resources for Families
- Job Posting!
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Dear Friends,
The research keeps building that shows the effectiveness of DIRFloortime®! I was happy to see
this study
from Thailand which shows that “the main factors that help improve child development were parent engagement in using DIR/Floortime techniques, especially using such techniques in daily life and the quality of the engagement.”
At PCDA, we always work closely with parents and family members. If you are interested in learning more about this approach, I invite you to come to our “
Orientation to Floortime
” classes that are held every month. Please read below to see all of the happenings this month at PCDA.
Thank you,
Dr. Diane
Executive Director
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Please help us help children with autism
and special needs.
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Upcoming Events At-A-Glance
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May 2:
Spring Sports Social (see below)
May 11:
Annual Spring Variety Show (see below)
June 8:
Teen Club/Teen Buddies Carwash (see below)
November 10:
11th Annual Harvest Moon Gala
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Developmental Interventionist (DI) of the Month:
Jennifer
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We are happy to announce our DI of the Month is Jennifer Barreda! Jennifer received her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Jennifer has experience working with children in school settings through LAUSD. Since joining PCDA, Jennifer has shown growth in utilizing DIR/Floortime with her clients and families. She is always eager to collaborate with fellow clinicians and is great with providing clients with various activities to support their social-emotional development. We are happy to have her in the Programs Team and looking forward to her continued growth.
Congratulations Jennifer!
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We are very excited to welcome Desiree Yoro Yoo as the new Head of the Child and Family Counseling Department!
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Desiree is an experienced LCSW with over 17 years of direct practice with children aged 0 – 17, and 12 years of managing and developing clinical programs and teams. She is a seasoned leader, supervisor, and clinician, with particular passion and expertise in the Birth to Five population. She is California-endorsed as an Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, as well as a California-endorsed Reflective Practice Facilitator II.
She is eager to join our multidisciplinary and collaborative team. She has shown great dedication and commitment to her previous employer and clients, and we are quite confident that she will be a tremendous asset to both the CFC Department, and the PCDA team in general!
Welcome Desiree!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Brenda Delgado
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Brenda Delgado is a student at California State University, Los Angeles and started volunteering at PCDA in January 2019. Brenda has a love for working with children and currently supports the Social Skills Groups, Young Athletes Program, and has provided child care for parents who attend the monthly Orientation to Floortime Workshop. Brenda is also completing her Youth Agency Administration Studies internship requirement for a college course.
In addition to working directly with children, Brenda has also been working under the wings of both PCDA's Programs Department and Development Department where she has gained experience learning about service delivery and fundraising efforts to help sustain our programs and develop new ones to benefit the children and families we serve. We are grateful for Brenda's commitment to PCDA and although her internship will be ending in May, we look forward to having her continue with the other programs she is part of.
Thank you, Brenda, for all you do to help make PCDA a special place!
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Thank you to
Autism Speaks
for awarding PCDA with a generous $5,000 grant that will allow us to provide scholarships for this year’s Creative Arts summer program!
So many children will benefit from these creative and shared social experiences!
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Creative Arts Department
Front Row: Juliana Frias, Head of Creative Arts Department,
Back Row L to R: Rene Torres, Alaina Hogue, Anna Needham, and Sarah Martinez
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Save the Date!
11th Annual Harvest Moon Gala
November 10, 2019
La Canada Flintridge Country Club
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We are pleased to announce our continued collaboration with the Altadena Library to offer Sensory Story Time for their remaining May sessions!
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The program offers a traditional library story time program along with additional structure, repetition, and clinical support for children with ASD and sensory processing difficulties. Through this collaboration, we have been able to offer feedback for optimal engagement to provide a more flexible story time experience using the DIR/Floortime® Model.
If you are interested in participating in the remaining two sessions on May 6
th
and May 20th
, please visit:
www.altadenalibrary.org/sensory-stories
to sign up. If you are interested in future Sensory Story Time sessions, please consult the Altadena Library events calendar periodically for updates.
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Book of the Month:
There is a Bird on your Head
by Mo Willems
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This is another fun tale about Gerald and Piggie. A bird builds a nest on Gerald the Elephant’s head. The two friends work together to solve this problem and help the bird family relocate. Simple language and clear pictures help children to understand the situation while enjoying the humor.
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Nutrient of the Month:
Vitamin B2!
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Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is one of many B-vitamins that plays an important role in helping the body’s cells receive oxygen and produce energy. It also acts as an antioxidant, preventing damage to healthy cells. Many foods are good sources of riboflavin, including whole grains, almonds, spinach, cucumber, wild rice, mushrooms, milk, eggs, and broccoli. Spinach grows year round in sunny California. Try adding it to soups, pastas, smoothies, salads, sauces and dips.
Try these kid approved
spinach lasagna roll-ups
with your family!
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Ingredients
- 8 traditional lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
- 1 egg
- 1 container ricotta cheese (15 ounces)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 4 cups fresh spinach (loosely packed)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Seasonings you enjoy (ex: black pepper, basil, oregano, garlic, onion powder, etc.)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Cook lasagna noodles. Drain and immediately lay them on a non-stick baking sheet.
- In large bowl, combine the egg, seasonings, ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese to make the cheese filling. In a separate bowl, combine the spinach and olive oil.
- To prepare lasagna roll-ups, spread each lasagna noodle with 2 tablespoons of cheese filling. Top with a handful of spinach [about ¼ cup per roll-up].
- Roll up each noodle starting at one end, leaving all rolls on the baking sheet. Repeat until all noodles have been filled and rolled.
- Pour ¼ cup of marinara sauce over each roll-up and top with ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 375, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
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PCDA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to providing children with developmental challenges and their families the best possible programs. Your donations directly support children with special needs and their families.
Please click here to donate today.
Thank you for your generous support!
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PCDA's Mission
The mission of PCDA is to help children with autism and other developmental challenges increase their capacity for communication, problem-solving, creativity and reflective thinking, and engage in joyful interactions and warm relationships with family and friends.
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