Building Connections

★★★★★Karen Hite

My 13 year old daughter attended camp at Building Connections for the first time last week. What an AMAZING place! She rode a horse for the first time, even though she was nervous, and she was so excited that she had done it. They took a field trip to a pool and she went down a waterslide for the first time, even though she was anxious. There was so much encouragement from the staff. At the end of the week they have a Parent Showcase where the campers share with their families what they did and learned all week. She was so over-the-moon to show off everything to us! She spoke in front of a crowd of strangers with a microphone for the first time during the showcase and she was so confident! I think the highlight for her of the week was riding Dottie the horse and caring for all the animals. Building Connections is a place where neurodivergent kids can be themselves, feel loved and accepted, and GROW!

★★★★★Kelly Hosonitz

Building Connections has been an invaluable resource for our entire family. Our son loves coming to the farm for his social skills group, summer camp, and seasonal events. He has grown in his executive functioning, coping strategies, flexibility, and peer relationships. I have also gained new insight and knowledge in raising my son through the parent coaching sessions, support/encouragement from other parents and the weekly lessons from the teachers. It is a warm, welcoming, non-judgmental, knowledgeable, experienced environment and staff that we have loved getting to know.

★★★★★Sung Moy

Building Connections has helped my son become more confident and given him tools to be more comfortable interacting with others. The farm is naturally stress reducing, and the animals become new friends. I highly recommend them.

★★★★★Kelly College

Chris Burkhart and her whole team have done wonders for my family and given us back that sense of hope and the tools (and how/when to use them) that we so desperately needed. As his teacher Suzann Novak has said about all the teachers there, they “are here and ready to receive all the feelings!” And they really are! We enrolled my son in a social skills group at Building Connections after trying a mixture of other services (parent support/therapy, OT, school supports) that were closer to home, but the drive and price have been worth every bit and then some. To not have to worry about getting “those phone calls” when he’s there has been so comforting. The activities and strategies they practice every session have been key in giving my son a sense of confidence in his own skin, and as a parent of a neurodivergent child who we have watched struggle, that is truly a gift. In the picture below, one milestone is his tolerance and now appreciation for (some) animals. He formerly detested animals, especially farm animals, but after gaining so many skills, he has surprised himself (and us!) and keeps working his flexibility muscles in so many ways! We are so proud of him and so grateful for the dedication and support of Building Connections!

★★★★★Tara Khan

Chris, Suzanne, and Sarah are all phenomenal! They really take pride in what they do, and it shows. They care deeply about these children. They take the time to really understand your child, validate their feelings, and guild them in social skills, emotional regulation, conversational skills, making and keeping friends, etc. They have the patience and understanding that it takes. My son loves seeing them, he is always learning new things and gets the guidance that he needs at the same time. We have used the social skills group., as well as the itinerant teacher services for our son's school. At school, the itinerant teacher observes in the classroom, works with the class teacher in the areas that the child struggles, can suggest things to add or change to the classroom or schedule, and really sets everyone up for success. Before we worked with Building Connections our son did not enjoy school, he had only one friend, and was not treated kindly by other children. Teachers did not know how to engage him, or would just sit him out, and it was taking a huge toll on his self esteem and his academics. I hated seeing my really awesome kid struggle so much because he was just expected to just figure it out on his own without the direction that he needed. We have made a complete 180! He enjoys school, is really proud of the work he accomplishes, and actually says "I had a great day." He is just all around happier. He gets help real-time in the places that he struggles and actually has some guidance. I could not have asked for a better team to help us and to help our son. We are looking forward to signing up for more social skills classes, the teacher workday fun days and take advantage of the new farm location as well.