Special Olympics Young Athletes program to start in Owatonna

The program, sponsored by Minnesota Special Olympics, brings together children ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. It starts January 6 at McKinley school in Owatonna.

The 'Young Athletes' program will meet every Tuesday from January 6 to April 28 at McKinley School, 423 14th St NE in Owatonna from 5:30 - 6:30PM. The class is FREE.

Activities will include:

foundational skills
balancing and jumping
trapping & catching
kicking
walking & running
throwing
striking
advanced skills

The goals of the program:

engage children with intellectual disabilities through developmentally appropriate play activities designed to foster physical, cognitive and social development
welcome family members of children with and without intellectual disabilities to the Special Olympics network of support
raise awareness about the abilities of children with intellectual disabilities through inclusive peer participation, demonstrations and other events.
developing skills for success as a future Special Olympics athlete

We believe there is no better way to bring these young athletes into the Special Olympics family than through a program like Young Athletes - fostering inclusion in a fun and engaging setting for all.
-mission statement

Registration information and other program details are available online at www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/programs/young-athletes/

The following is an interview with site coordinator Amanda Gislason: