Irish Tatler Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award Goes to Kildare Woman Karen Leigh

Leigh is the founder and CEO of a charity which looks after children with special needs. Bridging the gap between the private and public sector, sensational kids is made up of a wonderful team of people who make a tremendous difference for families throughout Ireland. Ten years ago, Karen Leigh was appalled by the lack of support she could find for her children. Upon discussing with fellow parents, she realised that many children with special needs faced lengthy waiting lists and couldn’t access affordable and accessible occupational therapy services. It is from her own experience then, and her dedication to the cause that Sensational Kids was born. This community and voluntary organisation is now celebrating a decade in business and employs 21 staff across its centres in Kildare and Cork.The fact that parents from Donegal and Waterford have made the trip to bring their children to Sensational Kids for therapy […]

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Voluntary Board Members & Company Secretary

Sensational Kids is seeking expressions of interest from candidates who are interested in becoming voluntary board members or from those who have experience/qualifications to take on the role of company secretary.  These roles are available due to the rotation of board members at the end of their terms as well as additional roles to strengthen the existing team.  We are also interested in recruiting board members in the Kildare, Cork and Mayo areas who can attend or skype into meetings which are held in Kildare.  Sensational Kids is seeking board members who have experience in Social Enterprise Development during periods of growth and scaling. The ideal candidate should have an interest in and knowledge of the social enterprise sector. We are interested in hearing from candidates who have experience in: Social Enterprise Development Fundraising Strategy Retail Development Finance/Accounting Corporate Governance Clinical Governance: which may be interest to those who have […]

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Clonakilty Open Evening for Educators & Parents

Introduction and Tour of Sensational Kids NEW Child Development Centre in Clonakilty. Open Evening for Educators/ Parents of Children with additional needs   Tuesday Oct 16th 4-5.30pm   Senior Speech Therapist, Elaine Baldwin and Occupational Therapist, Mary Lucey will give an Introductory talk on the range of services available at the new Child Development Centre in Clonakilty. All attendees will be given a tour of the new state of the art facilities on offer, including the newly equipped occupational therapy Gym. 2nd Floor Building G West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty,  County Cork P85 VF62 Phone 023 887 8208 Email:  Clonakilty@sensationalkids.ie   Admission is free of charge

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Tips to Help With Homework

With the return of school in September we often hear from parents that children are struggling to settle back into the homework routine after sitting for a log day in school. During the summer month the weather is nicer and typically children are running around outside, they are climbing and hanging and naturally meeting all their sensory needs through normal day to day activities. When they return to school they are suddenly required to sit still in class and concentrate on lessons for six hours a day. While they get some short break at lunchtime there are not always opportunities in the school playground for high powered regulating activities such as climbing and hanging. It is also a loud and busy environment which can be more overwhelming for children than regulating. Below are some simple tips that can be incorporated into your evening to help with the homework routine: Pick […]

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Before and After Fun Deck

Before & After Fun Deck will help early learners understand this essential language concept in an enjoyable way. The deck has 26 pairs of way too funny picture cards. Each pair has a “before” scene (children with sand buckets on a beach) and an “after” scene (children sitting next to a sand castle). “Wild” cards and game ideas too. Cards measure 2 ½” x 3 ½” and are stored in a sturdy storage tin.

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