Preschool aged children with special needs at the New York Institute for Special Education’s readiness program were busy putting on their helmets ahead of a three-lap ride around their school on Tuesday morning, May 24, and it was all in aid of cancer research.

 

Bikes and tricycles of various sizes and functionalities were lined up along the walls ahead of the event, with aides, physical therapists, and occupational therapists assisting the kids mount their respective “wheels.” A red ribbon held high in the air by Deborah Korn, one of the readiness program’s occupational therapists, signaled the end of the course.

 

The “Trike-a-Thon” has been running annually at the institute, located at 999 Pelham Parkway North in the Pelham Parkway / Allerton neighborhood, for twenty years now, according to Cindy Flowers, also a readiness program physical therapist who has been working at the institute for over twenty-six years.

 

The readiness program is a full day program for children aged 3 to 5 who live in The Bronx, and is a preschool, special education initiative, meant to prepare children for elementary school. Class sizes are small, with one teacher and two aides assisting the children with their everyday needs. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and counseling are all offered through the program.

 

The novel trike-a-thon event organized by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is held each year to raise money for the hospital. Each class at the institute was sponsored for their ride, and as of May 23, the children had raised $1,200 for the hospital. Participating classes continued accepting donations until May 31, and all proceeds will later go to St. Jude.

 

Nancy Finkel is principal of New York Institute for Special Education and explained that St. Jude sponsors the Trike-a-thon events at various schools around the city each year. The principal also invited the kindergarten class from across the street, also part of the institute, to participate in the trike-a-thon. “We had a little girl who graduated from here and is now in that class,” she said.

 

After each race, a new class of students would step up to the starting line, eager for their chance to race. Teachers, therapists, and sponsors alike cheered on the classes as they pedaled around the square track, with therapists even waving pompoms as they went by. As a reward for following the rules of the course, after each race, the kids were handed tricycle “licenses” which had their names and pictures on them.

 

According to the staff, there are several benefits to the annual Trike-a-thon that are not just limited to raising money for the St. Jude charity. “The children can learn bike safety and improve gross motor skills, strength, and coordination,” said Flowers.

 

Both Flowers and Finkel also mentioned that learning to ride a bicycle, or a tricycle, helps improve social skills, and gives the children more activities to do with their families. Indeed, one of the goals for the staff is to help the children gain more “play skills,” so that interacting with friends becomes less of a challenge. “Even being able to focus,” was yet another benefit highlighted by Flowers.

 

Chris Busone, executive assistant at the institute, said, “All the activities are based on the kids’ benefit, while not taking away the fun.” He stressed the importance of education being exciting for the children and emphasized the measures taken by the staff to achieve that goal.

 

 

While learning to ride the tricycles, the students practiced every week, according to the staff. As part of their class time, if the tricycles were available, students went out a few times a day to ride around. This practice was also part of their therapy with occupational and physical therapists.

 

In preparation for race day, Korn said, “We test out the bikes for the kids, find out what’s appropriate for them. We’re always practicing with them, making sure they have helmets and comparing [the bikes/tricycles] for what to anticipate.” Korn said even in the wintertime, students are able to ride the tricycles, and on an average day, children can be seen riding around the halls with their therapists, working one-on-one with staff members.

 

 

The staff said that students of different backgrounds, needs, and abilities were all able to participate in the event, including students who are blind, accompanied by their teachers and aids as their guides. Indeed, the sound of the joy of each child could be heard, even from the other side of the building.

 

There were a few changes to this year’s trike-a-thon. Unlike in previous years, parents were unable to attend and cheer their children on. “It’s sad, I think,” said Finkel, who noted that in the past, parents would stand out in the lobby to root for their kids.

 

“It is different,” said Flowers. “There usually is a cheering section. We were always able to invite the parents, and the class that would be riding next would be here cheering the class that’s riding.”

 

Other than the reduced audience, there weren’t many other constraints pertaining to COVID-19 in terms of getting ready for the event, according to the staff. Flowers said that because of procedures that have been put into place by the institute’s administration, the children are able to practice riding one-on-one, “without being exposed to the other kids.” During the event, most of the kids were unmasked while some, at certain points, were masked.

 

 

As the various classes of children hopped off their tricycles, staff members were seen wiping down the handlebars and disinfecting the seats for the next class set to ride. With everyone coming into the school required to take a COVID-19 screening test, there was little standing in the way of the children and staff having a good time.

 

Between the upbeat music that accompanied the various races and the enthusiasm of the children, who were seen cheering on their classmates, the event turned out to be a wonderful success. The staff all agreed it was inspiring to see the kids ride with such joy and ability, with Finkel adding, “Some of the kids couldn’t even ride before!”