Guided By Goats Inc

We began hosting volunteers from Oak Hill School to come to our farm and gain job skills. They learned animal care, job skills, and money skills. They hosted a farm market where they sold eggs to participants at the play groups we run. These volunteers are individuals in high school with special needs. This program is the heart of what we do, and a major focus going forward as we want to help individuals in this population become more prepared for adult life. We also developed and began hosting social groups, speech groups and occupational therapy groups to assist individuals diagnosed with autism learn new skills. We also established our in-home ABA services for individuals diagnosed with autism. We provide parent training, behavior reduction, and replacement behavior training at these sessions. Lastly, we established our open play groups. At open play we provide families of all abilities a space to play in nature and connect with each other. Inclusive play is encouraged as we want children diagnosed with autism to be around individuals who do not have a diagnosis. We also want individuals without a diagnosis to be with those who do have one. We believe this type of event will help others understand their peers unique needs and create a world of understanding in the future. Open play is also a chance for parents who have questions about their children connect with a professional in the human service field and learn more about interventions out there. We have had 219 signups in our limited sessions and programs we hosted on our small farm last year.

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In 2024 we made a connection with Meriden YMCA and began the process to sponsor kids with special needs to enter their adaptive summer camps. This initiative fits our mission by creating access to outdoor camps for those with disabilities. We have a 5,000 dollar budget to sponsor registrations

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