Special Olympics Young Athletes Program

More about Special Olympics Young Athletes Program

Young Athletes™ is a sports play program designed to engage children age 2 to 7 with intellectual disabilities through developmentally appropriate play activities and to foster cognitive, social and physical development. Young Athletes is used in a variety of environments: from individual family settings, classrooms with and without children who have special needs and community programs. Young Athletes seeks to offer families a community network experience that supports the development of their young children.

Created by and with parents and experts in early childhood development, program participants have demonstrated how Young Athletes addresses practical needs and meets developmental expectations. In the United States 75 percent of parents believe that the goals they had for their children were met or exceeded. In Romania, 90 percent of parents attending Young Athletes sessions learned new ways to work with their children, while 70 percent of parents increased expectations regarding development of the children. When asked to outline plans for the future, 95 percent of parents in the United States signaled their interest in continuing with Young Athletes program, while 75 percent feel that their children will take part in Special Olympics training and competitions, once they reach the 8 year age of eligibility.