Visually Impaired Preschool Services Gets Sullivan Bakery Facility, Programming
The Bakery at Sullivan University has teamed up with Visually Impaired Preschool Services Inc. (VIPS) to bring a kitchen learning facility to the VIPS center in Louisville, Ky. A ribbon-cutting took place on Monday, Dec. 14, during which children were invited into the facility to work with Chef Robert Henry on decorating gingerbread houses. Henry will be visiting VIPS at least once per month to work with children in the new kitchen.
The “bakery” gives children the opportunity to learn motor skills such as measuring, mixing and pouring and adaptive living skills such as washing dishes. By participating in these activities, the children will be able to engage all their senses and understand the process of food preparation, an activity that they can normally only hear. The “bakery” is part of a mock city where children can visit approximations of such places as a grocery store and a bank to learn life skills.
The mission of VIPS is to offer appropriate services to infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are visually impaired or blind and to their families; to maximize each child's development potential through direct services, advocacy and community education. For more information, visit www.vips.org.