GREENFIELD — A local nonprofit dedicated to helping kids with special needs is partnering with county school districts to offer an after-school program that’ll teach students social skills.
Families United for Support and Encouragement, or FUSE, is now accepting applications for its Building our Social Skills (BOSS) program, a 12-week learning experience.
FUSE is a support organization for Indiana families raising children with disabilities. Its newest program aims to help kids better understand the interaction and communication traits they’ll need to have successful and positive relationships with their peers, teachers and neighbors, said executive director Denise Arland.
Skills like how to properly introduce yourself or read others’ body language aren’t always taught to kids, Arland said. Kids with special needs can have an even tougher time picking it up, she said.
FUSE’s leaders are hopeful the one-on-one attention offered in their BOSS program will help to fill that void, she said.
Just eight spots are available at the six elementary and intermediate schools hosting the program, so organizers are encouraging interested families to apply quickly.
The BOSS program is currently offered at Eastern Hancock Elementary, Mt. Comfort Elementary, New Palestine Elementary, Sugar Creek Elementary, Greenfield Intermediate School and Maxwell Intermediate School.
Arland hopes the program will expand to more buildings in the future.
Parents interested in enrolling their students should visit FUSE’s website, www.fuseinc.org, to download an application. Applications are due before the end of the month.
The program is open to third- to fifth-graders at the Mt. Vernon, Eastern and Southern Hancock schools and third- to sixth-graders at Greenfield-Central Schools. Students who enroll must have a referral from doctor, teacher, social worker or the like that shows they have a social skills need, Arland said.
Participation costs $180 per semester, but several scholarships are available based on financial need.
BOSS lessons will be every Wednesday for 12 weeks, starting Sept. 5. After the holidays, the program will resume for the spring semester starting Feb. 6 and run for 12 more weeks.
Each lesson will last for about 75 minutes, beginning at the end of each building’s school day. Classes will not meet during school holidays.
A student’s participation in BOSS will likely benefit their education, said Jim Bever, Greenfield-Central Schools’ director of student services.
Classrooms are social environments, Bever said. So when a child’s social skills go underdeveloped, it can impact their learning, cause frustration and lead to angry outbursts, he said.
It’s much more helpful to teach students the skills they need, he said.
FUSE received the Hancock County Community Foundation’s Big Impact grant in 2017 to make the BOSS program a reality.
The Big Impact grant, offered in celebration the foundation’s 25th anniversary, was awarded to a project that was deemed to have a long-lasting positive impact on the community, officials said.
BOSS application forms and two skills rating forms should be returned by email to [email protected]; by fax to 317-467-0814; or mailed to the FUSE office at 1133 W Main St., Suite E, Greenfield.