Special education services coming to Takiff Center | Chicago Tribune

By Daniel I. Dorfman – February 24, 2015
Pioneer Press

To make its programming available to a wider audience, the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association is on the verge of opening a second area location, this one in Glencoe.

On Feb. 17 the Glencoe Park District unanimously agreed to enter into an “interagency cooperation agreement” with the Northbrook based-NSSRA to offer programming at the Park District’s Takiff Center headquarters, which was the top target of the special services agency due to a combination of the center’s amenities and location, officials said.

“In an attempt to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the services we provide to our residents, we started to look at how do we expand our adult day program?” said Craig Culp, the NSSRA executive director.

While the NSSRA has held programming in Riverwoods for the last 10 years, officials believe there is a need for a second facility as officials are projecting approximately 240 special education students from area high schools will graduate over the next 10 years. The target audience for the NSSRA services are people 22 years of age and older who may benefit from the agency’s ratio of one staff member to four participants.

“We’ll be able to serve individuals at all levels of staffing needs within our two programs,” Culp added.

The NSSRA activities at the Takiff Center are slated to operate 48 weeks a year, six hours a day, with the overall goals centering on independent living, socialization, recreation and leisure, and community integration. If the weather cooperates, the participants will also be able to use the center’s outdoor facilities.

“We get out and play, so to have this as a location is ideal,” Culp said.

Residents of Glencoe, Deerfield, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Kenilworth, Northfield, Northbrook, Wilmette, Winnetka, Highwood, Lake Forest and Riverwoods are eligible to participate in the program.

The proposal was approved by the NSSRA board Feb. 19. NSSRA will pay an annual $10,000 rent to the Park District.

A tentative start date for the NSSRA classes in Glencoe has been scheduled for Aug. 10, if eight individuals are enrolled in time, according to Culp. If that number is not reached, the start time will be pushed back to late October. Attendance will be limited to 20 students.

The Takiff Center was reopened in 2009 following a renovation that made the classrooms available to a wide spectrum of people.

“That was how we designed this building,” noted President Hilary Lee. “We didn’t know what was going to happen so we wanted to be able to accommodate whatever.”

The two agencies have a long-standing relationship as the Glencoe Park District was one of 10 area park districts that helped establish the NSSRA in 1970.