•   Join Us & Make A Difference
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Program
  • Services
  • For Caregivers
  • Enrollment
  • Careers
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Stay Connected

    Search

FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.

FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.

Guiding Kids to Greater Goals

  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Leadership
    • Learning Villages
    • FirstSteps News & Updates
    • Latest News
  • Our Program
    • About ABA
    • Learning Goals
    • FirstSteps Curriculum
    • Ensuring Success
    • Uniquely FirstSteps
  • Services
    • Service model
    • Benefits
    • Targeted Treatment
    • With Caretakers
  • For Caregivers
    • Get Ready!
    • Your FirstSteps
    • Our Intake Process
    • FAQs
    • Learn
  • Enrollment
  • Careers
    • Find Your Office
    • Your Benefits
    • Learn More
    • Frequent Questions & Answers

FS For Friends

August 10, 2022 · In: Latest News

FirstSteps For Friends

Each year, FirstSteps for Kids, a behavioral health provider serving kids with autism, hosts a center-based learning program called FirstSteps for Friends (FS4F) that has the feel of a traditional summer camp while actually remaining a 1:1 highly individualized ABA program. In the context of weekly, kid-approved themes (animals, space exploration, etc.) each child’s Instructor (RBT) remains laser focused on teaching the specific targeted skills their child needs as directed by their FirstSteps BCBA Clinician. As behavior analyst Wai Ling Wu, the Regional Clinical Director of FirstSteps’ East Los Angeles Center explains, “there is a lot of behind-the-scenes preparation that takes place to ensure the FS4F experience is fun, individualized to each child, and rich with learning opportunities. Our kids definitely keep learning at the rapid rate typical at FirstSteps and may even have more opportunities to generalize new skills to a variety of new people and contexts.”  

The program’s curriculum leader is Erin Silverman, a FirstSteps clinician and behavior analyst who works at the organization’s Calabasas location and creates each year’s FS4F program for all offices. Silverman has a passion for creating unique learning environments that inspire FirstSteps kids to try new things, use their new skills, and value the incredible social connections they have within their FirstSteps community and beyond. Silverman adds, “Our FirstSteps for Friends summer program is always the highlights of my year! My true passion is creating a program that allows our children to have a wonderful summer filled with new friends and social opportunities, exciting new experiences, and tons of opportunities for learning and growth via the experiential activities we provide including visits from community helpers, community field trips, cooking activities, animal visits, and special events. By participating in our summer program, our kids truly thrive and finish the summer with new skills and new friends.” 

Though Silverman leads the charge, the entire FirstSteps clinical team makes the vision become a reality. Every single Clinician and Instructor at FirstSteps is active and involved to ensure each child’s needs are specifically addressed. From the materials prepared, to the daily schedule built that includes customized individual and group experiences, FS4F is a collective effort. Christina Kowan a behavior analyst who has worked at FirstSteps for over 10 years explains, “Our summer program is a lot of additional work for our team, but the smiles we see on our kids’ faces and their collective and visible motivation to enjoy the experience together makes it all worth it. I know we are all already thinking about next summer – determined to make it special.”

By: Joey Rubin · In: Latest News

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

Congrats RBT Exam

Footer

Connect

   1.800.819.FSFK (3735)

   

Company

  • About FirstSteps
  • Clinical Leadership
  • Early Intervention Program
  • Our Learning Centers
  • Careers with FirstSteps
  • News and Updates

Get Started

  • Enrollment Inquiry
  • Our Services
  • Understanding ABA
  • Resources
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact Us

Locations

  • Redondo Beach (HQ)
  • West Los Angeles
  • East Los Angeles
  • North Los Angeles
  • Walnut Creek
  •   Join Us & Make A Difference

FIRSTSTEPS FOR KIDS, INC. © 2023 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED