Resources for Apex Caregivers and Families
Children who have special needs often require extra special care and understanding – something that isn’t guaranteed with just any childcare provider. Apex PROaupair’s Special Needs program is dedicated to helping families find experienced, professional caregivers who are trained, interested and motivated to care for children with special needs. In addition, they understand the unique needs of children without special needs who are part of the same family.
Apex Instructional Coaching for Care Professionals
Apex Families have the option of scheduling virtual Instructional Coaching with one of our expert coaches. Our coaches have backgrounds in U.S. based Special Education and classroom instruction and are passionate about seeing children reach their full potential.
Schedule your consultation with an Apex Coach Now
What is Apex Instructional Coaching?
Apex Instructional Coaching is a “train the trainer” approach designed to provide care professionals support in conducting successful homeschooling, structuring their host children’s week, being proactive & planning for the elements of success needed, based on the individual needs of each child.
What are typical concepts covered in a coaching session?
The sessions will be conducted based on feedback gathered in the onboarding questionnaire from both the parent and the care professional. The coach will address the pain points identified.
Some areas that can be effectively addressed in a 1:1 coaching session include:
- creating a weekly schedule
- incorporating a sensory diet in the daily schedule
- tips for managing anxiety in children
- adjusting the educational schedule & lesson plans to accommodate special needs
- partnering with teachers & therapists for the children’s success
- creating routines that help kids avoid excess screen time
- incorporating art, music and physical activity into the weekly schedule
- managing challenging behaviors at home
- creating a feedback loop between care professional and parents
Online Resources for Apex Caregivers and Families:
Homeschooling Resources
Sample Homeschool Schedule
| 7:00 a.m. | Wake up, dress up, show up! Get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth make your bed and assemble learning tools |
| 8:00 - 9:45 | Academic Time Gather for family planning session for the day, and then then begin daily assignments in designated location |
| 9:45 - 10:00 | Morning snack Make sure this is healthy and preplanned and prepared ahead |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Get some exercise Try your PE activity for the week and/or go for a walk, do some yoga or tumbling, bike rides |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Creative Time Make something: Legos, drawing, painting, crafts, cooking, baking, planting, writing; piano or other music practice |
| 12:00 - 12:30 | Lunch Make it healthy! Don’t forget fruits and vegetables. |
| 12:30 - 1:00 | Chore Time Complete age-appropriate chores from a prepared list or visual schedule; don’t forget about wiping surfaces, chairs, door handles, light switches, bathroom sinks and fixtures and remember that chemicals are not recommended for kids! |
| 1:00 – 1:30 | Quiet Time Read, journal, listen to relaxing music, practice mindfulness, work on a puzzle - by yourself |
| 1:30 -3:30 | Academic Time Continue assignments from your teacher(s) plus any extra projects assigned by parents (passion project, educational videos, research). Keep a portfolio to show your teacher when you return. |
| 3:30 - 4:30 | Snack and Fresh Air Child-choice snack, then ride your bike, take a walk, play outside. |
| 4:30 - 5:30 | Media Break Music, TV or games as allowed |
| 5:30 - 6:00 | Family Meal Prep Set the table, read recipes for the cook - or be the cook! Assist with measuring, chopping, stirring; plan menus, try something new! |
| 6:00 - 6:30 | Family Dinner Express gratitude, talk about something you learned, ask and answer thought-provoking questions (What do you like better..?, What would you do if…?, How were you kind today? ...Brave? How did you fail today? |
| 6:30 - 7:00 | Free Time Child-choice games and activities |
| 7:00 - 8:00 | Family reading and prayers Read a chapter book aloud to all members of the family. Adult reads, children listen. |
| Age Dependent | Bed Time Be content. Be grateful. Sleep well. |
Online Educational Classes & Resources
Dyson engineers have designed these engineering challenge cards specifically for children. Ideal for home or in the classroom, they encourage inquisitive young minds to get excited about engineering.
Virtual Drawing demonstrations & readings by the Writer/Illustrator of Captain Underpants: Dav Pilkey (who is proudly neurodivergent; Dyslexic, ADHD) is collaborating with The US Library of Congress to create weekly videos for kids.
Turn screen time into reading time with Storytime from Space. Storytime has partnered with the Global Space Education Project to create these amazing videos of stories read from space! (and adults!) who might want to try their hand at drawing while physical distancing at home.
Head over to Jingle Jam: Dance music for kids if the kids (or you) are ready to get moving and burn up some energy,
ABCya offers hundreds of educational games, for grades PreK to 6, designed by parents and educators, who understand that children learn better if they are having fun. ABCya is used in countless classrooms and homes around the world and covers topics such as multiplication, parts of speech, typing, pattern recognition, and more.
GoNoodle offers free movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts to get your kids moving to be their strongest, bravest, silliest, smartest, best selves.
Looking for ideas to keep children busy? Parents.com offers best activity ideas that caregivers can use to engage children ranging from games, to arts and crafts and more. Click here to discover fun activities to keep children happy.
Need tools to help with home-schooling, lesson plans or homework? Kid’s Health offers a wealth of information for caregivers and parents. Click here to discover new ideas and resources for all ages of children.
Special Education Resources
If you have a host child on the Autism spectrum, click here to see the National Autism Association's website for helpful resources during COVID 19.
Autism Speaks website has put out a great list of tips on how to help children with Autism at home during COVID 19. Click here to see.
Need some online learning activities for children with all types of disabilities? Click here for the Top 12 websites for children with learning disabilities.
Yet another great website, Common Sense Education highlights their most recommended Special Education apps and websites. Click here to see their top 37!
Ever heard of implementing a Sensory Diet for kiddos with all different types of Special Needs? It's NOT an actual food diet! Click here to find out what a Sensory Diet is, and how you can use Sensory Diet activities in your daily routine. Click here to see a sample Sensory Diet for your host child and, as always, speak with your host family about it together!
Caregiver Tips & Resources
Online Classes for Caregivers
Take free online child development courses to build your skills and advance your career. Click here to learn child development from top universities and institutions.
edX is a trusted platform for education and learning and was founded by Harvard and MIT. Click here to gain access to high-quality education and a wide variety of course options. Make sure to look at how many credits/hours a particular course is, and if it offers a completion certificate.
Self Care for Caregivers
Child Mind Institute gives tips for How Mindfulness can Help Caregivers. Click here to learn techniques to reduce stress and anxiety.
Now for some self-care! Ever listened to a Ted Talk? Ted Talks are free, 20-minute motivational speeches done by experts around the globe. They cover every subject you can possibly imagine, and they will inspire you in so many ways. They are educational, heartwarming and useful. If you need a little bit of self-care or maybe just a little "me-time", click here to see the list of the 10 best TED Talks that just might change your life.