That day. That unforgettable, terrifying, confusing, horrible first day. You and your family have just been told your child has diabetes. The first question is obvious: "When will the diabetes go away?" The answer stuns you: "Diabetes is an incurable disease. Your child will require insulin shots for the rest of their life." Your already dazed mind is then bombarded by the dizzying amount of information from the doctors and nurses necessary to make the required life changes to manage this disease. Your child's life depends on your ability to learn it all, and to learn it RIGHT NOW!

The week that follows that day is a blur of emotions - fear, anger, frustration, depression, denial, all cycling through you, your child, and your family as you realize your life has been changed forever.

The New Kids program was conceived by parents who have all experienced that day, and the weeks, months, and years that follow. These experienced parents are brought into contact with newly diagnosed families to offer support, education, supplies, and most of all - hope. After all, these parents and their children are examples that diabetes is not the end of your families life. The New Kids program supplements the medical knowledge obtained from the doctors with real-world, in-the-trenches, positive experience, from parents and children just like your family. They become resources that can be called on anytime, when you are unsure, frightened, frustrated, or just to chat. Your children meet other kids with diabetes, kids who are happy, smart, athletic, healthy, and who also just happen to have diabetes. The New Kids program has reached over 100 newly diagnosed families in the Ventura County area since its inception in 1999.

Every New Kid who attends a Fun For Type 1 Playgroup receives a cooler with emergency snacks for low blood glucose and a backpack filled with books, videos, pamphlets, and diabetes supplies such as a blood glucose meter and log book.

The New Kids program is made possible by generous grants and donations from our sponsors. If you would like more information, or to help us by making a donation of products, literature, or money, please contact us.