In 1946, a Teaneck, New Jersey woman reached out to all parents with a child who was "mentally deficient or mentally handicapped" to come together to "help his own child by doing something to help all children similarly affected." In a letter which ran in the October 12th edition of the Bergen Evening Record, Mrs. Laura Blossfeld laid the ground work for what was to become a nationwide organization.

Initial meetings of parents from Bergen and Passaic Counties resulted in the seeking of assistance from professionals, appointment of an executive committee, initiation of a voluntary one dollar per year dues and the beginning of a resource library on mental deficiency made up of books contributed by group members.

The idea of forming a Parents Group for Retarded Children, as the organization was first called, mushroomed and similar groups sprang up in other New Jersey counties. Progress toward incorporation was realized for the New Jersey group in 1949.

That same year saw the first meeting of the Hudson Unit, which was incorporated in 1950 with 42 members. On July 1, 1999, the Hudson Association for Retarded Citizens officially changed its name and became known as Hudson Milestones, Inc..

Funding for Hudson Milestones to provide free-of-charge services to county residents comes from state, county, and municipal governments as well as fundraising and private contributions.

Hudson Milestones administers a variety of programs to serve people from our community who are disabled at all stages of their life cycle.

Established in 1963, the Developmental Day Care is an inclusive program which provides an environment of mental, physical and social stimulation for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and at-risk populations. The center is open year round and transportation is included for eligible families. The Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsors three meals a day for the children served.

Early Intervention Services are provided to children and their families from birth up to their third birthday. Highly trained, licensed professionals deliver in home services to eligible children who reside in Hudson County. Special educators, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists work in collaboration with family members and service coordinators to provide comprehensive care. The agency has been providing EI services since 1983.

In 1985, Hudson Milestones began providing In-Home Respite Care to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Specially trained staff visit family homes at times chosen by the parent(s) to care for the family member with the disability. The care provided varies according to the person and family's needs and can consist of tutoring, skill training, recreational activities, and/or attention to personal needs. Having access to respite is a great relief to the parent(s) who otherwise are alone with the often difficult responsibilities of caring for a family member with special needs.

The After School Program provides after school care for children who meet DYFS income eligibility standards, have a developmental disability and live in Bayonne. The Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsors a daily snack for enrolled children. Activities include: arts and crafts; field trips; group games; music; computer use; homework assistance; snacks and special contests. The program began in September of 2000 and replaced the Summer camp program.

The Cash/Stipend Program provides monies for goods and/or services to families of people with developmental disabilities or to the people with disabilities themselves. Beginning in 1993 and expanded in 1994 and again in 1999, the program was created to meet needs which could not be met through the existing array of family support services and permits individualized use of state funds for specific needs with little administrative overhead. The program has proven to be very popular with families.

Our two Adult Training Centers (ATCs), located in Bayonne since 1988 and Jersey City since 1964, provide day programming for over 100 residents of the Hudson County community. These centers are places of individual expression, learning and creation. Each person can find ways to build relationships with peers while also building skills and interests which our consistently innovative staff incorporate into the daily schedule.

The ARCworks component of the ATC, began in 1997. This program offers a pre-vocational training curriculum for people who have clearly stated a desire to work in the community. ARCworks provides a job-like environment and introduces participants to the world of work through job sampling, travel training, video assisted interview techniques, job seeking and application process, and, most importantly, through work itself. ARCworks has done subcontract work for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a local law firm, a church and many more.

In July of 1998, Jersey City ARCworks began providing employees to staff the SpARCkling Clean Laundromat, a local business which the agency owns and operates as a training site for interested individuals and, it is hoped, a springboard to individual placement with other community employers.

Anyone dropping by the Paterson Street Senior Center in Jersey City will walk into a scene of informal recreation and social interaction involving local seniors who come by to play cards, watch the day's talk shows and daytime dramas, crochet, play bingo and take dancing lessons. What is quickly obvious is the loose, easy intermingling of folks whose focus is no longer on work and faster paced organized activities. What they probably won't notice is a group of Hudson Milestones' participants integrated into the daily life of the Center. This is community integration at its best and has been since it opened in 1993.

Community Residential Services refers to living arrangements for adults with developmental disabilities which allow integration into the mainstream of community life. Accepting residents from state developmental centers and community families, these services provide an alternative to institutional placement and to living at home when this is no longer possible or advisable. Hudson Milestones operates Group Homes in Bayonne, Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen and Secaucus. The first one opened in 1984. Each house affords supervised opportunities for self direction in all life skill areas consistent with each person's ability. Our programs strongly focus on "person centered" approaches and support individuals in becoming integral participants in the community.

Supervised Apartments are a community residential service option which allow more independence than group home living. Since 1985, a building with four client apartments and a single family home are operated by Hudson Milestones in Bayonne for this purpose. Each apartment houses two clients who live alone but receive support and assistance from staff. The single family home offers support to four individuals since 2005.

The In-Home Program was started in September of 1993 when Hudson Milestones started serving individuals in their own homes, providing them with services targeted at those problems that impede full independence. Participants receive a specified number of weekly hours.

Recreation Program for Adults. Monthly dances, called PLAY dances, for adult clients are currently being held at the Moose Lodge in Jersey City. The dances give clients the opportunity to socialize with one another and provide community involvement. This program was among the first the agency offered and dates back to 1957.

In 2003, the Saturday Recreation Program was developed through the Department of Adult Activities. This program is currently administered under the Children and Family Services Department as it is funded by DDD Family Support dollars. In 2005, a teen component was added. The program serves its 15 adult & 16 youth clients for 40 Saturdays a year from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The program does not operate weeks in which there is an agency closing or any Saturday during an extended holiday weekend. The SRP operates out of our Jersey City Adult Training Center (JCATC). The adult clients are drawn mostly but not exclusively from those we know through serving them in our day program. It is open to people who do not live in a group home, sponsor home, or a residential placement funded by the Division. Youth clients are students enrolled in education programs through their local special education/services departments. Being registered with the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities is a requirement.

Transportation Services is an important part of the developmental day care and adult training center programs. Each program's operation depends on Hudson Milestones' fleet of vans to transport clients from home to the centers and back home at the end of the day. Transportation also makes it possible for children and adults from programs to attend special recreational outings and trips.

All programs of Hudson Milestones function because of the Support Staff who work behind the scene. Accountants, bookkeepers, secretaries and maintenance people, to name a few, all contribute to programs in ways that may not be apparent, but are vital to our operations.