Birch Family Services

We are having a blooming good time at our Pelham Bay Early Childhood Center!🌻

Families joined us for a special Parent Engagement Activity featuring a Gardening Day and Tea Party. Together, parents and children planted, explored, and shared meaningful moments while enjoying tea, treats, and great conversation!

Thanks to everyone who joined us!

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, participants at our Queens Day Habilitation program whipped up delicious ube milkshakes while learning about the rich cultural significance of ube, a beloved purple yam featured in many Filipino desserts and traditions.

From blending the ingredients to tasting the end result, it was a fun and flavorful way to celebrate the diverse cultures that make our communities stronger!

Thank you to Harlem World Magazine for spotlighting Birch Family Services’ 14th Annual 5K Forward: Fast Track to Empowerment and helping share the incredible impact of this year’s event. 💙

We are so grateful to everyone who joined us at Hudson River Park’s Pier 62 to celebrate inclusion, community, and opportunity for children, adolescents, and adults with autism and developmental disabilities across New York City.

Read the full feature here: https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/birch-family-services-5k-draws-record-crowd-raises-120k-to-support-new-yorkers-with-disabilities/

Learning, connecting, and building stronger supports for families. 💙

Our Birch Family Services Education and Training Departments were proud to represent Birch at the 38th Annual Bronx Family Support Conference hosted by the Bronx Developmental Disabilities Council. Events like these create meaningful opportunities to connect families with resources, share expertise, and strengthen advocacy across every stage of life, from early intervention through adulthood.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to meet our team and learn more about the services, programs, and support available throughout the Birch community!

This week is critical for the New York State budget, and the TII is actively being discussed. Providers supporting the I/DD community are facing rising costs and staffing shortages amidst growing demand.

Please tell your legislators they must include the full 4% TII in the final budget: https://bit.ly/4tm0hhk

Play mode: fully activated!💙

Our Long Island City Early Childhood Center celebrated their Day of Play with a day packed full of movement, creativity, sensory fun, and adventure! Students crawled through tunnels, tackled obstacle courses, tossed bean bags, built with giant LEGOs, knocked down giant bowling pins, splashed through water play, and explored bubbles along the way!

And after all the fun, students enjoyed a cool fruit popsicle treat as the perfect way to wrap up an amazing day.

Don’t forget to join us tomorrow for our Adapting Books Virtual Workshop📖!

Learn why, when, and how adapting books can help children with autism and developmental disabilities build communication, strengthen social understanding, recognize emotions, and engage with stories in meaningful new ways.

Adaptive books are powerful tools that help bring learning to life through visuals, sensory experiences, and creativity while supporting every child’s unique way of connecting with the world.

Join us and discover how books can help open new doors for learning, communication, and growth. 💙

Click here to register: 🔗https://zoom.us/meeting/register/y5gP8vP1SJywsA4_8cb6OQ #/registration

👟 Over 300 runners. Countless cheers. One incredible community. 💙

Our 14th Annual Birch Family Services 5K Forward: Fast Track to Empowerment crossed the finish line this weekend at Hudson River Park’s Pier 62, and together, we made this our biggest 5K yet!

From runners and walkers to volunteers, sponsors, families, and the individuals we proudly support, the day was filled with energy, connection, and celebration. Seeing our Birch community cheering from the sidelines, crossing the finish line, and celebrating together is what makes this event special year after year.

🏆 Congratulations to our top finishers:
🥇 Male: Malik Stewart
🥇 Female: Melissa Munoz
🥈 Male: Eli Shlonsky
🥈 Female: Samantha Bobal
🥉 Male: Max Lustig
🥉 Female: Gabrielle Vaculikova
🎉 Top Fundraising Team: Team Sammy

To date, this year’s race has raised more than $120,000, with fundraising continuing through June 30. There’s still time for one final push because every dollar helps Birch continue creating opportunities for children, adolescents, and adults with autism and developmental disabilities.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, sponsored, donated, and showed up for our mission.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
💙 Champion Sponsor: Lamb Insurance Services
💙 Community Partner Sponsor: EisnerAmper
💙 Refreshment Sponsors: Apple Bank, JD Masters Plumbing & Heating Inc., and Virtu Financial

📸 You can find all race photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCU83K. Don’t forget to share your race photos and tag us using .

Continue the momentum and help us fundraise through June 30 here:
https://give.birchfamilyservices.org/event/birch-family-services-14th-annual-5k-forward/e742248?c_src=FB

Join us in congratulating Kaliana on achieving her Frontline Supervisor Certification through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals E-Badge Academy!

This accomplishment reflects Kaliana’s dedication, commitment to professional growth, and passion for delivering high-quality, person-centered support. Her hard work and perseverance throughout the certification process are truly something to be proud of.

We are grateful for Kaliana’s continued service and the positive impact she brings to Birch every day.

👏 Congratulations, Kaliana—we are proud to have you on our team!