Weekly Update September 19, 2025

With the start of a new school year comes germs! We wanted to remind parents here of the policies regarding illness and when your child should stay home.

Children who are unlikely to benefit from sessions due to their symptoms should not attend. Parents should call as soon as possible to cancel sessions due to illness. Please keep in mind that parents may leave a message 24 hours per day by calling 810-344-8082, ext. 1 for Brighton, ext. 2 for Burton. Parents may also update our team regarding an absence using our online Therapy Schedule Update Form.

In addition, parents are asked to keep children home under the following conditions:

o Fever exceeding 100 degrees

o Repeated episodes of diarrhea

o Instances of vomiting due to illness

o Contagious skin or eye infection

o Excessive discharge

o Congested cough

Strive Center staff will contact parents to end therapy if any of the above symptoms begin during a treatment session.

VIP is hosting a MiAble workshop on September 30, 2025 at 5:00 pm at their site. A MiAble representative will be hosting the session and assisting anyone interested in registering for the program. All community members are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Please see the attachment for more information. Questions should be directed to Sharri Newman at 810-238-3671 or at snewman@viprogram.org.

The mission of MiABLE is to encourage and assist the saving of private funds to help persons with disabilities cover costs that support their health, independence, and quality of life.

The MiABLE Disability Savings Program was created to allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save funds for Qualified Disability Expenses that support health, independence, and quality of life without jeopardizing eligibility for necessary federal benefits.

Parents, we want to let you know about a change at our Burton location. We understand that the safety of your children is a top priority, and we're committed to keeping you informed. We are no longer a peanut-free facility. This means that we will now be using and serving products that contain peanuts. We have taken measures to minimize the risk of cross-contamination, but we cannot guarantee a peanut-free environment. If your child has a peanut allergy or any other allergy, please contact us to discuss how we can continue to safely accommodate them. We appreciate your understanding as we make this change.

We know how hard all our families work to ensure their children have everything they need. We like to share information on available grant programs with you periodically as a way to help.

Bluestone Voices for Autism This program awards financial aid each quarter to support families of and providers for children on the autism spectrum. We have had families have success with this program in the past, and they have a deadline of September 5th for this quarter's awards.

United Healthcare Children's Foundation This program has some eligibility requirements outlined at the link, but reviews applications on an ongoing basis, so there is no specific deadline to apply. We have had families receive grants from this organization as well.

Autism Speaks Grant Info This page lists a variety of grants for families affected by Autism.

We are excited to congratulate our team members, Alexa and Emma, on earning their Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) credential!

What's an RBT?

An RBT is a paraprofessional who works directly with children and families to implement a behavior-analytic plan designed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), a nationally recognized credentialing body, issues the RBT credential. To become an RBT, an individual must:

• Complete a 40-hour training course.
• Pass a competency assessment.
• Pass a background check.
• Pass a comprehensive RBT exam.

Why We Require It

At Strive Center for Autism, we require all of our direct care staff to become RBTs to ensure that every team member providing services to your child has met the same high standard of training and competence. This means that our entire team is skilled in the implementation of the core principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), including data collection and professional ethics. This commitment to having a fully credentialed staff ensures your child receives the highest quality of care and that our services are delivered with consistency and integrity.

Many parents may not be aware of our social media, and we'd love for you to follow us! We share tips and tricks for families, staff birthdays and work anniversaries, and other info.

Follow us here on Facebook or Instagram

We'll just keep this link right here, for your convenience. For any absences scheduled in advance, please use this form to report the dates. You may take an entire day or half day, depending on your needs.

Therapy Schedule Update Form

Here are some upcoming dates that the centers will be closed:

Friday, October 17th - BOTH centers closed for PD Day

Wednesday, November 26th - Friday November 28th - BOTH centers closed for Thanksgiving

Monday, December 22nd - Friday January 2nd - BOTH centers closed for holidays

If your family is planning a longer absence around one of those dates, or at another time, please let us know as soon as you are able!

Email: info@sc-centers.com
Website: www.sc-centers.com
Location: Burton and Brighton, MI
Phone: 810-344-8082