FitCatZ

The FitCatZ Aquatic and Motor Program is designed for children with disabilities. The program’s goal is to help participating children become efficient movers in a fun and safe environment. Each child in the program is assigned a trained volunteer student clinician who will work one-on-one with the child during the aquatic and motor program.

FitCatZ is supported by the College of Charleston Department of Teacher Education and First Year Experience Program and is held at Arthur W. Christopher Community Center and the Medical University of South Carolina Wellness Center.

 Each child's program will be tailored to their needs and abilities and may include:

• Physical fitness activities to improve muscular strength, endurance and flexibility,
• Sensory motor activities,
• Fundamental motor patterns and sport skills,
• Body awareness and spatial orientation, and/or
• Swimming and water safety skills.

FitCatZ is open to children with a range of physical, intellectual, behavioral, and emotional disabilities ranging in age from 2 to 18 years old at the start of the program.  We are willing to work with parents to accommodate specific concerns and can provide additional assistance for children with more severe disabilities.

Parents interested in registering their child for the FitCatZ Program should complete the attached application packet and send it to Susan Flynn at the address provided below along with a check for $95.00 made payable to The College of Charleston.   In order to ensure a spot in the program, application materials must be returned by February 10, 2020. Applications will be accepted in the order in which they are received.  There are a limited number of spots in the program, so we recommend interested families submit completed paperwork as soon as possible.

Please contact Susan Flynn (information below) for questions or additional information.  

Susan M. Flynn
College of Charleston
School of Education, Health and Human Performance
Dept. of Teacher Education
86 Wentworth Street
Charleston, SC 29424
flynns@cofc.edu
Office: 843-953-0815
Cell: 765-414-3837

To apply for FitCatZ, please be sure to complete the following

• Participant Application Form
• Technology and Information Release Form
• Parental Authorization Form (which includes a physician’s signature or recent school physical form/one per year)
• Non-Parental Pick-Up Authorization
• Waiver, Release, and Hold Harmless Agreement
• Check to The College of Charleston ($95.00)

In order to successfully apply for the program, all of these forms and associated paperwork should be completed and returned, along with payment, to: 

Susan M. Flynn
College of Charleston
School of Education, Health and Human Performance
Dept. of Teacher Education
86 Wentworth Street
Charleston, SC 29424
flynns@cofc.edu
Office: 843-953-0815
Cell: 765-414-3837

What is needed for FitCatZ:

In order to be prepared for the program, children should bring the following items each session:

• Backpack/duffel bag to hold belongings with the child’s name on it.
• Wear Sneakers or tennis shoes
• Comfortable clothes for playing in the gym
• A swimsuit and towel with the child’s name on it.
• Rubber pants for swimming if needed. 
• Ear-plugs or swimming goggles if needed.
• Extra change of clothes.

Children participating in FitCatZ will be paired one-on-one with a trained undergraduate or graduate volunteer student clinician. The clinicians are recruited from local graduate and undergraduate education and therapy disciplines and are volunteers whom have shown an eagerness to work in the program and who demonstrate a willingness to learn and accept an educational challenge to motivate and teach children and youth with disabilities. Interested volunteers are interviewed and agree to the commitment of the FitCatZ program. Each child is strategically paired with a clinician based on the clinician’s experience and the child’s specific needs. Throughout the program, clinicians will evaluate children’s physical activity and motor development needs and will structure individualized instruction in order to help them progress toward goals and objectives developed by the clinicians in concert with parents and children.

Group Leaders are graduate or senior student volunteers who have been chosen to assist with the administration of the program. Group Leaders are not paired with a specific child, rather they assist with all of the FitCatZ children and clinicians assigned to their group.

Group Leaders are assigned to work with 4-6 clinicians and their FitCatZ buddy to:

• Assist with parent communication and attendance
• Manage drop off and pick up times with the children and parents
• Assist with child evaluation and goal setting
• Assist with weekly motor and aquatic lessons
• Assist with the set up and tear down of equipment used in the program
• Evaluate lesson plans, Body Skills Assessment Report and Final Case Report.

College of Charleston and Medical University of South Carolina students interested in being clinicians for the FitCatZ program should complete the clinician application packet and email it to flynns@cofc.edu, send it to Susan Flynn at the address provided below, or deliver it to Flynn’s Mailbox second floor of the School of Education, Health and Human Performance building at 86 Wentworth. Program training will be held on September 12, 2020.  Late or incomplete applications may not be accepted. Please contact Susan Flynn (information below) for questions or additional information.  

To apply for FitCatZ, please be sure to complete the following:

• Clinician Application Form
• Technology and Information Release Form
• Clinical Volunteer Agreement and Emergency Medical Authorization
• Statement of Acknowledgment for Working with Minors
• Waiver, Release, and Hold Harmless Agreement
• SLED Background Check
• Proof of health insurance
• Group Leader Recommendation (if applying for Group Leader position) 

In order to successfully apply for the program, each of these forms must be completed and returned to: 

Susan M. Flynn
College of Charleston
School of Education, Health and Human Performance
Dept. of Teacher Education
86 Wentworth Street
Charleston, SC 29424
flynns@cofc.edu
Office: 843-953-0815
Cell: 765-414-3837

Questions, Comments or Concerns

Potential clinicians are welcome to ask questions about the application process or the program more generally.  Please direct all questions to Susan Flynn at flynns@cofc.edu or at 765-414-3837

Child Abuse Awareness Education:

All clinicians, group leaders, and administrative volunteers are encouraged to complete The Darkness to Light Sexual Abuse Awareness Educational Training. Details will be provided at training.

What is needed for FitCatZ:

In order to be prepared for the program, clinicians should bring the following items to each session:

• Backpack/duffel bag to hold belongings,
• Sneakers or tennis shoes,
• Professional dress for physical activity session (polo shirt and khaki pants or athletic pants),
• Swimsuit (One piece for women, long swim trunks for men),
• Towel, and
• Notebook and pencil to take notes.

It is advisable to leave valuables and belongings not essential to the program locked in your car or left at your home/dorm.

Certified Water Safety Instructors will be training the clinicians for aquatic safety and developmentally appropriate swimming instruction. In addition, they will be teaching structured swimming lessons during the aquatics portion of FitCatZ. 

The program is being administered by Program Director, Susan Flynn. Susan is an Instructor at The College of Charleston in the School of Education, Health and Human Performance. Flynn has organized and conducted similar successful programs at The University of Toledo-Perceptual Motor Development Clinic (1987-1997) and Purdue University’s Pete’s PALS (2007-2009). Flynn’s specialty is in the area of adapted physical education.  All phases of the program will be monitored and supervised by the Program Director and/or other trained instructors.

FitCatZ Spring 2020 Program Schedule

Program Dates:

February 26; March 4, 11; April 1, 8, 15

The deadline for parents to submit applications is February 10, 2020.

Program Schedule

Ashley Hall School, 172, Rutledge Ave., Charleston, SC

3:30-3:40  Parents drop off children 
3:30-5:15  Motor and Aquatics Therapy
5:15-5:30  Parents pick up children

Questions, Comments or Concerns

Please direct all questions to Susan Flynn at flynns@cofc.edu or at 765-414-3837

In order to help personalize the FitCatZ program to the needs of the children, we encourage our clinicians to foster a positive relationship with parents. As a part of this relationship, group leaders will communicate with parents on a regular basis and will provide clinicians with updates from the parents. This pre-program communication is critical as it helps clinicians to plan for the first session and outline their objectives for the program.