Kidz Connect FAQ

Kidz Connect is designed for children who would benefit from additional opportunities to practice communication, play, social interaction, emotional regulation, teamwork, and friendship skills with peers.

Our groups welcome children with a variety of learning styles and abilities. Children do not need to be receiving ABA therapy or other services to participate.

Because Kidz Connect is a group program, children do need certain foundational skills to participate safely and benefit from the group. Placement is based on more than age — we consider each child's communication skills, group readiness, social skills, support needs, and potential peer match.

No. A diagnosis is not required to participate in Kidz Connect.

Our groups are designed for children who may benefit from additional social opportunities and support, including both neurodivergent and neurotypical children.

Children may have autism, ADHD, communication differences, developmental delays, or other learning differences — or they may simply need more opportunities to practice connecting and interacting with peers.

No. Children do not need an IEP, 504 Plan, or special education placement to participate.

During the intake process, we will ask about your child's school setting and current supports because this information can help us better understand how they participate and learn in a group environment.

Absolutely not. Kidz Connect exists to help children develop and strengthen these skills.

Children do not need to independently take turns, share perfectly, initiate conversations, handle losing, or successfully navigate every peer interaction.

They do, however, need enough foundational skills to participate in a small group and benefit from interactions with peers. Our goal is to find the right level of challenge and support for each child.

Age is only one part of the decision.

Before enrollment, parents complete a brief intake form that helps us learn about their child's communication, play skills, peer interactions, school setting, interests, group participation, emotional regulation, and support needs.

Our team reviews this information and may schedule a brief parent conversation or screening. We then consider your child's age, current skill level, support needs, group readiness, and compatibility with other children enrolled before recommending a group.

The goal isn't simply to fill a class. We want to create groups where children have meaningful opportunities to connect with one another and be successful.

The specific skills vary depending on the group.

In general, children should have a way to functionally communicate their basic wants and needs, participate in activities for short periods, transition with reasonable support, follow basic group directions, and safely participate around other children.

Some groups provide more adult support than others. For example, Kidz Connect Minis and Kidz Connect Club are smaller groups designed to provide additional support, while Kidz Connect Crew is designed for children who can participate more independently within a larger peer group.

Children do not need to have mastered the skills being taught — that's what we're here to practice.

Kidz Connect is designed as a peer-based group experience and does not provide continuous 1:1 behavioral support.

If your child currently requires continuous 1:1 assistance to safely participate in group activities, Kidz Connect may not be the appropriate setting at this time.

However, needing some prompting, redirection, modeling, or additional adult support does not automatically mean your child isn't a good fit. Some Kidz Connect groups are intentionally smaller and provide more support.

We encourage families who aren't sure to complete the intake form so we can discuss their child's individual needs.

Children do not need to communicate using spoken language to participate in every Kidz Connect group.

We recognize and support different forms of functional communication, including AAC devices, gestures, signs, and spoken language.

If your child uses an AAC device or another communication system, please send it with them so they have access to their communication throughout the group.

Kidz Connect is a social skills and enrichment program, not a replacement for individualized ABA therapy.

Our program is informed by our team's experience in behavior, child development, communication, and evidence-based teaching practices, but the focus of Kidz Connect is providing children with meaningful opportunities to practice social skills through play, activities, and real interactions with peers.

Children do not need to be receiving ABA therapy to participate. If you are looking for individualized ABA, see our in-home and center-based ABA therapy services.

Kidz Connect groups are led and supported by experienced professionals with backgrounds in behavior, education, child development, and social skills instruction.

Our team may include Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), certified teachers, and special education teachers, bringing together experience supporting children with a variety of communication, social, behavioral, and learning needs.

Groups are thoughtfully designed to create meaningful opportunities for children to practice communication, play, teamwork, flexible thinking, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and friendship skills through real interactions with peers.

At Kidz Connect, we want children to feel comfortable being themselves while building the confidence and skills to communicate, play, connect, and belong.

It depends on the group and the week's activities — and that's part of the fun.

A class may include games, imaginative play, crafts, building activities, movement, team challenges, conversation activities, cooperative projects, and other hands-on experiences.

Staff use these activities to create natural opportunities for children to communicate, take turns, share ideas, problem-solve, work together, practice flexibility, and connect with peers.

We want children to learn social skills by actually experiencing social situations, not simply talking about them.

We intentionally keep our groups small so children have meaningful opportunities to interact with one another. Group size varies based on the program:

• Kidz Connect Minis: up to 5 children
• Play & Talk Crew: up to 6 children
• Kidz Connect Crew: 6–7 children
• Kidz Connect Club: 4–6 children

Group size may also depend on the needs and compatibility of the children enrolled.

Yes. Kidz Connect social skills groups are designed as drop-off programs.

Parents and caregivers do not need to remain during class. If your child has difficulty separating from a caregiver, please let us know during the intake process so we can discuss whether the group environment is currently a good fit and how we can best support the transition.

We understand that children get sick and family schedules change.

Our sessions include a designated make-up week. Specific make-up opportunities depend on the current session schedule, class availability, and program policies.

Families should contact Kidz Connect as soon as possible if their child will be absent.

Kidz Connect is a private-pay social skills and enrichment program and is separate from insurance-funded ABA services.

Program pricing and payment information will be provided with each session's registration information.

Kidz Connect groups are offered at our Northern New Jersey locations:

• Flanders — 4 Gold Mine Road, Flanders, NJ 07836
• Augusta (coming soon) — 122 US Highway 206, Augusta, NJ 07822

Specific groups, days, and times may vary by location and enrollment.

That's exactly what our intake process is for. You don't need to determine the right group on your own.

Complete our brief intake form and tell us about your child's strengths, communication, social skills, interests, school experience, and support needs. Our team will review the information and help determine whether Kidz Connect is an appropriate fit and, if so, which group may offer the best peer experience.