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Sidekicks expands to year-round model; 54 teen sidekicks signed up for summer
Summary
Eva described the Sidekicks program for neurodiverse children: a year-round set of adaptive camps plus three weeks of one-on-one teen matching for summer; she said 54 teen sidekicks are participating and the program will be showcased at an upcoming mayors' conference.
Eva presented an update on the Sidekicks program, which provides adaptive and one-on-one summer and year-round recreation for neurodiverse children.
She said Sidekicks has grown from a small pilot to a year-long program with two program tracks: adaptive full- or half-day camps and three weeks of 1-on-1 teen matching. "This year we have 54, sidekicks for the summer," Eva said, noting that the program also runs during the school year at a lower scale.
Eva described partnerships with contractors and community organizations that adapted existing contractor-run camps to serve neurodiverse participants (examples cited included PlayWell and a contractor called 24/7). She said Sidekicks secured classification with the Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB) so families can receive fee reimbursement in that program category, which she described as important for removing fee barriers.
Eva also said she and the program lead Larissa will present Sidekicks at the Alameda County mayors' conference hosted by Piedmont to share implementation lessons with other cities.
Next steps: continue recruiting teen sidekicks, monitor enrollment in the remaining open camps and provide follow-up data to the commission as program growth continues.
