Classes and Programs

Baby Care Basics

Designed to give new parents a complete head-to-toe look at how to care for their newborn. Topics include bathing, diapering, safety, infant stimulation and more.
Contact: herc@umich.edu. More Information

Buckle Up! Hotline

We care so much about car seat safety that we created the Buckle Up! Hotline. Operated by our Women’s Health Resource Center staff, the Hotline is an easy way to find out dates and times for free community car seat inspections or to enroll in a one-hour car seat class at Mott Children’s Hospital. Buckle Up! Hotline 734-763-2251.

Child Passenger Safety Education Classes for car seat violators

Mott partners with the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor Police, and local District Courts to provide an educational class that drivers may attend in lieu of paying a fine for a car seat violation. In addition to education, a low cost car seat may be provided to families in financial need.
Contact: Buckle Up! Hotline 734-763-2251 for more information.
Also see: Car Seat Program

Booster Seat Program

The University of Michigan offers a program that instructs preschool and primary school educators as well as child caretakers about the importance of booster seats and provides them with teaching aids and information for child and parent education. More information

Discipline – Make it positive

Teaches parents how to discipline their children ages 2-10 in a positive way. More Information

Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management Program

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. 177,000 children under the age of 20 are diagnosed each year. Each year more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes in children is on the rise.

Diabetes is a disease that is 95% self-managed. Families must learn self-management skills to effectively manage the disease and to prevent long term complications. The Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management Program offers a series of basic education classes for newly diagnosed children and families and more advanced classes for intensive insulin management, including insulin pump therapy. The classes are certified through the Michigan Department of Community Health and Recognized by the American Diabetes Association. The registered nurses and dieticians are certified diabetes educators.
Appointments: By Physician or self-referral
To make an appointment: Call 734-764-5175
There is a fee for classes. The fee typically is covered by insurance.

Safe Kids Worldwide

In an effort to further injury prevention initiatives, C.S Mott Children's Hospital joined Safe Kids Worldwide and became the lead organization of the Safe Kids Washtenaw County Coalition. More Information

Safe Sitter Program

For boys and girls ages 11-13 years old, babysitters learn what to do when a child chokes, safety for the sitter, how to call for emergency help, babysitting business skills, basic child care skills (diapering, feeding, etc.), how to entertain children and keep them safe. More Information

Straight Talk

A free hospital-based program for adolescents who exhibit high-risk behavior associated with fire play, fire setting and juvenile arson. The daylong program involves youth, their parent or guardian, medical professionals, Firefighters, and burn survivors. The goal is to modify high-risk behavior and reduce the recurrence rate of adolescent fire experimentation. Each family leaves with a home safety packet, which includes a fire safety video, smoke detectors, safety beacon light, and other prevention materials. More Information

Think First

This program increases awareness of brain and spinal cord injuries - specifically, how they occur and subsequent disabilities. Participants receive instruction on the prevention of injuries. More Information

Therapeutic Recreation and the U-M Dance Marathon

The University of Michigan Dance Marathon is a student fundraising organization that supports activities for children, specifically programs that are part of the U-M Health System’s Therapeutic Recreation program.

U-M Therapeutic Recreation focuses on therapies in which patients with physical and cognitive disabilities participate in activities they enjoy, such as cycling, tree climbing, art, music, sports and more. Money raised through the annual Dance Marathon provides funding for:

• Arbor Quest Recreational Tree Climbing
• Martial Arts Therapy
• The Mott Summer Enrichment Program
• Special Needs Cycling Program
• TOPSoccer

These programs are for Mott patients, as well as qualified community members. To learn more about the U-M Dance Marathon follow this link.

The Mott Summer Enrichment Program
The Mott Summer Enrichment Program is a week-long group experience for children with special needs. The program is run by occupational, physical, recreational and speech therapists, and takes place at High Point School in Ann Arbor. Participants engage in art, music, sports, gardening and other activities. For more information, call 734-763-2554.

Arbor Quest Recreational Tree Climbing
Arbor Quest Recreational Tree Climbing is run by a group of people who love to climb trees and believe that anyone can participate in this rewarding activity. All members of the climbing staff are certified tree climbing facilitators and have specialized training in rope systems to assist people with limited physical abilities. Climbs are scheduled in spring, summer and fall. For more information, call 734-763-2554 or follow this link.

Martial Arts Therapy
Martial Arts Therapy helps children with special needs develop strength, balance, coordination, attention and self-esteem – all while having fun! Sessions run 6-8 weeks. Classes take place Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information or to register, call 517-223-7449.

TOPSoccer
The TOPSoccer program teaches young people with disabilities how to play the popular international game of soccer. This program offers important physical training within a caring and supportive coaching environment. For more information, contact Brian Manning at 734-662-2972 or brian@aaysa.net, or follow this link.

Special Needs Cycling Program
The Special Needs Cycling Program provides education for cyclists of all ages and skill levels, and specialized training and assistance for individuals with disabilities who want to become competent cyclists. Participants learn basic fitness, safety, riding and mechanical skills from trained instructors. For more than a decade this program has drawn national attention for improving the lives of participants by increasing independence and fitness, and enhancing self-image. Parents are encouraged to participate with their child/children. For more information, call 734-674-6725 or follow this link.