UPDATED: June 26, 2020
- Our therapy services “soft opening” this week with our current therapy clients at Highland Hills and Westlake has gone smoothly.
- Services will continue to occur on a staggered basis, to assure social distancing of clients and staff. In addition, we are scheduling time to clean each therapy session room between sessions.
- Families will be asked to wait in their cars until called for their appointment. Staff and families will have their temperatures taken at the front desk and asked COVID-19 health questions. One family member may accompany the child/adult to the therapy room. For health reasons, families will not be waiting in the lobby.
- We are doing everything possible to assure a safe environment for those we serve and our staff. Many of our other services continue remotely via telehealth.
UPDATED: June 19, 2020
- On Monday June 22, Therapy Services (PT, OT, Speech) will begin a soft opening. This means that we will be serving some current clients in both our Highland Hills and Westlake facilities. Service will occur on a staggered basis, to assure social distancing of clients and staff. In addition, we are scheduling time to clean each therapy session room between sessions. Therapy clients currently receiving services have been notified of this phased opening of onsite services.Families will be asked to wait in their cars until called for their appointment. Staff and Families will have their temperatures taken at the front desk and asked COVID-19 health questions. One family member may accompany the child/adult to the therapy room. For health reasons, families will not be waiting in the lobby.We are doing everything possible to assure a safe environment for those we serve and our staff. Thank you!
UPDATED: June 12, 2020
- We anticipate bringing some of our occupational, physical and speech/language therapies back on site by the end of June. We will be following all necessary safety precautions. To get more information about our therapy services call Amy Hardy at 440 – 250-2520 x 289 or email amy.hardy@achievementctrs.org.
UPDATED: June 1, 2020
- The Achievement Centers for Children is saddened to announce that Cheerful Day Camp, Sensational ESY Camp and Overnight Camp are cancelled for the 2020 summer season, due to the continued health concerns posed by COVID-19. We explored many alternative ways to offer activities and ultimately decided we cannot safely provide any on-site camps at Camp Cheerful this summer. Our research included guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to reducing risk in a camp setting; guidance from the American Camp Association (ACA), a national organization that accredits our camps; guidance from Governor DeWine related to Day Camps and information from The Ohio Department of Development Disabilities (DODD). We will miss seeing our camp friends this summer!
UPDATED: May 22, 2020
- Is being at home affecting your child’s emotions or behaviors (not sharing feelings, outbursts, hyperactivity)? We have immediate openings for children up to age 6. Please contact: Amy Hardy, amy.hardy@achievementctrs.org 440-250-2520 x 289. Help them find the calm they deserve.
UPDATED: May 15, 2020
- The agency program and leadership staff continue to work on policies and procedures that will keep our eventual reopening safe and effective for staff, clients and visitors. Our reopening will be slow and phased and we will be communicating to all our stakeholders as we move forward.
- The staff of our Family Support Program are carrying out their duties virtually but they really miss seeing their clients in person. This video offers an encouraging message until they can resume meeting in person.
UPDATED: May 8, 2020
Camp Cheerful Update
- Overnight Camp: Because the health and safety of our campers and staff is our top priority, we have explored, at length, how we might maintain physical distancing, safe settings for eating, sleeping, and group activities for Overnight Camp. We also know that our wonderful international counselors will be unable to join us this summer. Unfortunately, given these challenges and the current environment, we will not be offering Overnight Camp at Camp Cheerful this summer.
- Day Camps (Cheerful Day and ESY Camp): Similar health concerns have lead us to cancel Cheerful Day Camp and Sensational ESY Camp in June. We will continue to evaluate the possibility of offering a safe, healthful experience in July and August. Please watch for further announcements about Camp Cheerful Day Camp and Sensational ESY Camp. We will miss seeing your smiling faces this summer, but we will be reaching out to stay in touch.
UPDATED: May 1, 2020
- ACC board and staff leadership are looking carefully at each aspect of our buildings and sites as we evaluate how and when to best open up more of our programs. The health and safety of our clients, families and staff are our number one priority
- All our therapists miss seeing their clients! Click here to see their special video!
UPDATED: April 24, 2020
- The Achievement Centers is pleased to have received funding from the federal Paycheck Protection Program that will help us to maintain the staffing levels needed to provide our critical services at this time.
- Our Camp Cheerful has developed a newsletter called The Cheerful Times! Read all about it here.
- Our Autism School students, along with their families, are enjoying remote learning sessions with their teachers. New learning material packets have been delivered to families as well to use at home.
UPDATED: April 17, 2020
- We continue to expand the services offered remotely to our clients and families. Please contact Amy Hardy: amy.hardy@achievementctrs.org or 440-250-2520, ext. 289 You will receive a reply within 2 business days.
- Stay updated on the Achievement Centers for Children and get information and tips by following us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and by signing up on the website to get our e-newsletters.
- Charitable support of our critical programs and services is needed more than ever! You can make a gift online by clicking Here.
UPDATED: April 10, 2020
Family Support Services:
Early Childhood Mental Health, Behavioral Health, and Help Me Grow are all providing telehealth services (telephone calls and remote video). All Family Support staff are staying in touch with their clients via phone and, for families who are able and willing, via remote video (secure & HIPAA compliant).
Therapy:
Physical, Occupational and Speech Language Teletherapy is fully up and running. All therapists are staying in touch with their clients via phone.
Autism School
Our Autism School is closed but teachers provided materials and projects for students prior to transitioning to work-from-home. Every student received a box of materials and projects in the mail. Teachers are making daily telephone contact with parents and students to provide assistance and guidance with the lessons and are continuing to prepare and send materials.
Technical Assistance Program (TAP) & Social Emotional Learning program (SEL)
- Staff in both of these preschool consultative programs are making daily contact with teachers and families via telephone to provide support and guidance for any identified issues related to needs of a child with a disability (TAP) and social emotional skills & development (SEL).
- Staff in both of these programs have made materials and projects and provided them to the schools/daycare centers to be sent home to families.
Camp Cheerful /River Rock Adult Day program/Therapeutic Horsemanship/Riding (TR)
- Camp programs are currently suspended and summer programming is being evaluated.
- Camp staff is staying in touch with campers via email communication and activities like a camp coloring page to complete and return.
- River Rock staff is in touch with clients and families and providing activities and tips to stay active and connected while they are at home.
- TR horses are getting daily care – no TR sessions at this time.
- People can still inquire about camp and get an application – Visit our Website to see what is happening as things move forward.
We are accepting referrals during COVID-19. For a reply within 2 business days, contact:
Amy Hardy, Family Support Social Worker, Referral Specialist
440-250-2520, ext. 289
- Agency is taking advantage of state, federal and local funding programs and opportunities available to us, so that we can maintain staffing levels and provide telehealth services to many of our clients.
- Our A Most Excellent Race, scheduled for June 28th, will now be a virtual event… Plan to participate! More info and details to come.
- We are grateful to our public and private community partners who are working closely with us to help us manage and utilize technologies, provide resources for our families and share HR resources for our staff.
UPDATED: March 30, 2020
We hope you and your family are in good health and good spirits. Because of our important mission, the agency has been designated an “essential service” and we want to assure you that the Achievement Centers for Children is still operating and is here serving our clients with disabilities who need us more than ever.
When it became apparent that our ability to provide services in-person would be compromised, our entire staff mobilized quickly to prepare lesson plans and to create paths for remote therapy and phone service options. Our team showed their dedication to the children, adults and families we serve by working evenings and weekends to make remote help a reality. We are still ramping up our service offerings with this new approach, but we are already hearing from families and staff that many of these new alternatives are working well.
While we are operating with an abundance of care, our therapists, teachers, home visitors and other staff are reaching out to continue to offer much-needed consultations, assistance and therapy suggestions. The clients we serve are often highly sensitive to uncertainty, altered routines and changes in services and we are keeping them moving in a positive direction. And of course, our wonderful therapy horses at Camp Cheerful are getting the daily care they need from our dedicated equine staff!
We are taking the necessary steps and precautions to keep everyone here healthy and safe through remote working, limited open building times and office hours, and continual reminders to wash, sanitize and, when necessary, maintain personal distance.
As you might expect, there is a significant cost to adding these new services, both in technology, time and lost program income. While we didn’t hesitate to make this happen, we hope the community won’t hesitate in supporting us with continued contributions now and in the future.
Our organization has been helping individuals with disabilities in Northeast Ohio for almost 80 years. We appreciate your continued support and we wish you all the best as we move through this unique time. Please watch for more communications from us in the coming days.
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March 19, 2020
A message from the President and CEO, Sally Farwell:
Dear clients, families, employees, and volunteers of the Achievement Centers for Children:
The security and safety of employees, clients, students, and volunteers at the Achievement Centers for Children is our highest priority. In light of recent news regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) being present in the Northeast Ohio community, we want to share with you the steps and procedures we are taking to keep everyone safe and put your minds at ease.
In the interest of public health and safety, the Achievement Centers is taking the following measures:
- See below for information on current operations of our programs and services. We recognize that information and the situation is evolving rapidly and we continue to monitor information as it becomes available.
- Different services will be addressed individually. You will hear from your service provider and this web page will be updated.
- The Achievement Centers Autism School will be closed to students from March 16 – April 6.
- River Rock Adult Day Program will be closed effective March 19 and until further notice.
- Camp Cheerful Respite Weekend April 3-5 is canceled.
- Therapeutic Horseback Riding Session 2 from March 16-May 23 has been delayed until further notice.
- Face to Face Therapy Services will be discontinued effective March 17 and until further notice.
- Enhanced environment cleaning procedures are being implemented at our facilities.
- We will follow the lead of national, state, and local public health authorities and implement recommended proactive strategies in all of our spaces as necessary. We will closely monitor the health of all employees. Any employees showing signs of illness or feeling ill will be asked to stay home.
- If you are a client of the Achievement Centers for Children, we hope you will keep your appointment. However, in the event you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms (notably fever, cough, and shortness of breath), we strongly encourage you to stay home and take good care of yourself.
We will remain attentive to the changing conditions and will make further decisions providing updates as necessary. Please remember to follow the precautions and preventative measures as recommended by the Ohio Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- Maintain social distancing – 6 feet away from others
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Please stay home when you are sick
We will continue to evaluate new information as it becomes available and provide timely updates to the Achievement Centers for Children community. Thank you for your understanding as we respond to emerging information and changing guidelines.
If you have any questions, please call 216-292-9700.
Take care and stay healthy,
Sally Farwell
Additional Resources:
Travel Information via the Centers for Disease Control
