The team at Genesis Gymnastics is filling a need it saw in Bradford.

A new program at the gymnastics club is specifically designed for children with special needs. 

“There’s not a lot of options out there for parents who have kids with special needs, so we feel we can become a part of their community,” said Donna Katz, owner of Genesis Gymnastics.

Genesis Gymnastics was always a place that special-needs children were able to go, but now there’s a program designed with them in mind.

“We’ve never had a dedicated program where people know there is something out there for them,” Katz said. 

The program is designed for children four to 10 years old, but Katz said they’re willing to accommodate younger and older children as the need arises.

First, it’s determined what the child needs are and how long the class needs to be. There is a group class, but there’s also one-on-one coaching available.

“It would be just them, just their group,” Katz said. “It would be a class at a quieter time where there’s less distractions.”

The classes will vary on what they cover, but physically the children will learn balance, flexibility, coordination and strength, Katz said.

Katz has been in the gymnastics industry for nearly 50 years and will be supporting Shannon Cappello, who has two decades worth of experience working with children with special needs, specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“We’ve actually been able to create something new that people are very excited about,” Katz said. 

To keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a screening process for everyone who enters the building as well as a temperature check. Everyone is required to sanitize their hands as well. Children who are taking part in the class are required to sanitize their hands at several points during the class. Coaches will be wearing masks, but the children who are exercising are not required to wear one. 

“Knowing that there’s a lack of programs for children with special needs and their siblings, I reached out to (Katz) to shed some light on creating a new opportunity for opening up a program for children with special needs and their siblings,” Cappello said.

Cappello said it’s important for children with special needs to socialize with other people and the classes can provide that opportunity. 

“Incorporating a program that facilitates socialization, facilitates the ability to develop gross motor skills and cognitive motor skills and development through those areas … is so important,” Cappello said. 

Genesis Gymnastics held an open house to garner interest in the program and both Katz and Cappello said they were excited by the response.

“It was actually an amazing success because we received registrations right after the trial run,” Cappello said. “It’s just so rewarding. Parents felt like somebody heard them.”

For more information on the program, call Genesis Gymnastics or email . 

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Reporter Laura Broadley heard about the program Genesis Gymnastics had created and wanted to find out how it worked.