STAR (ages 5 – 13) from June 13th to July 22nd - end date is tentative
Transition (ages 14 – 22) from June 20th to July 29th
Music (ages 14 – 22) from June 20th to July 29th - end date is tentative

Little Lighthouse

The Little Lighthouse Blind Babies program at Miami Lighthouse gives blind and visually impaired babies and toddlers the opportunity to begin discovering our world. Ordinarily more than 80 percent of early learning is visual, so these children need special attention from birth onward. Miami Lighthouse also provides a supportive and instructional environment for moms and other caregivers.

Direct Intervention Services- Support program that provides in-home intervention for children ages birth to five with a visual impairment that impedes their ability to function independently and learn incidentally through vision. Individual services are identified in each child’s individual service plan resulting from assessment and parent information.

Consultative Services- Support services available to assist families in identifying and/or accessing needed resources to promote growth and development of child and family well-being.

Playgroup- Playgroups are held at the Miami Lighthouse once a week and designed to provide participating children with further opportunity for skill and social development.

Family Support Groups- Family support groups are available on a monthly basis and cover a variety of topics. The group seeks to provide peer support as well as community resources.

Professional Training- Professional development workshops are available to the community and include information on different eye conditions, identification of possible visual impairments, classroom modification and adaptation, compensatory skill development, and available resources.

For more information please contact Children's Service Program Coordinator, Sayonara Villalta.

Click here to view a video about the Blind Babies program

The STAR Summer Program

The Summer Training and Recreation Program (STAR) is a six week summer camp providing services to blind or visually impaired children ages 5- 13. The program offers fun, engaging, and enriching activities including literacy, technology, physical fitness, social skills development, art and music.

The upcoming 2011 summer program will include judo, rowing, music and much more.

For more information please contact Children's Service Program Coordinator, Sayonara Villalta.

Summer Activities for STAR 2010 included:

• The opportunity to meet former Miami HEAT player, Tim Hardaway, while learning about water safety at José Martí pool.

• A fun-filled carnival day held at the Miami Lighthouse.

• Children developed gross motor and team building skills while participating in the sport of rowing.

• The STAR summer program concluded with a family day and the unveiling of the “Pillar of Hope”, a one of a kind mosaic created by the children.

The Transition Program (Ages 14 to 22)

The purpose of our Transition Program is to provide students ages 14 to 22 with the experience needed to live independent, successful and fulfilling lives. Multiple sessions are offered to students monthly as well as a focused eight week summer program. From work experience that suits the individual’s interests, personal and home management, assistive technology training, orientation and mobility, field trips, to community integration; the experiences and opportunities are unforgettable. In addition to developing independence in all areas of life, we also learn how to succeed together and build meaningful relationships with our peers. These skills combined create an unstoppable team!

If you would like more information or are interested in joining, please contact Abigail Miller, Transition Program Coordinator.

The Transition group has a lot of exciting activities going on as well! This year they have gone to a U.S. Coast Guard Station, collected and donated food for recent natural disaster victims to a local fire station, visited C.B. Smith park, went kayaking at Shake-A-Leg and learned Martial Arts just to name a few.

We also have created our “Transition Village” which is a mock community in which the students had to fill out applications and interview for the positions of their choice. They also create and log inventory of their own stores, handle and budget their own Transition money and bank accounts and sell to the STAR kids who have raised Transition dollars for good behavior. The students love it because it provides a fun way to experience sales, running a business and managing and organizing their own money.

If you would like any more information on our programs, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are constantly learning and growing together, and we would love for you to join us!

Tango gives the kids the opportunity to work in close proximity to their dancing partner, where it is necessary to be mindful of one’s own movement as well as his or her partners, and move together. They are learning to feel the rhythm of the music and are also gaining better kinesthetic coordination. The wonderful instructors from the Shimmy Club help to make this a great experience.

Transition students have also been busy in the music studio, working on creating beats and R&B songs that they perform for the Lighthouse staff and clients at events like special lunches and the talent show.

STAR Summer Campers Swim with
the Miami HEAT for HEAT Learn to Swim

	Miami District 3 Commissioner Frank Carrollo, Miami Lighthouse Board Director Ramon Casas, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida South Florida Market President Penny Shaffer, and HEAT Community Liaison Tim Hardaway.
	STAR summer campers with HEAT Community Liaison Tim Hardaway.
	STAR summer campers with Miami Park and Recreation lifeguards.

On July 19 the Miami HEAT, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, and the American Red Cross teamed up with the Miami Lighthouse to surprise children in the Summer Training and Recreation (STAR) program during their swimming lessons at José Martí Pool as part of the HEAT Learn to Swim community water safety campaign. The STAR program is a six-week summer camp providing services to blind or visually impaired children ages 5- 13. The program offers fun, engaging, and enriching activities including Braille literacy, physical fitness, social skills development, art and music.

HEAT Community Liaison Tim Hardaway, made a surprise visit and joined the children in the water for their afternoon lesson. HEAT/Sun Sports Courtside Reporter, Jason Jackson, gave the children instructions on how to be better swimmers before they jumped in the pool. The HEAT offered $10 off swimming lesson coupons, to be redeemed at select authorized providers of Red Cross swimming lessons, in order to make a noticeable impact in water safety. Campers were encouraged to pass the Learn to Swim message on to their peers.

Guest speakers included City of Miami District 3 Commissioner Frank Carrollo, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida South Florida Market President Penny Shaffer, Miami Lighthouse Board Director Ramon Casas and American Red Cross representative Patrick Beason. Speakers were presented with ceramic lighthouses and thank you cards made by summer campers participating in the Miami Lighthouse STAR program.

Click here to view a Miami HEAT video of the STAR summer campers at the Miami HEAT Learn to Swim community water safety campaign