Little ELITES

Little ELITES (Elementary Level Introduction To Entry-level Sports) is a sports program that bridges the gap between Special Olympics Young Athletes (ages 2-7) and competitive Special Olympics sports (ages 8+) concepts and models. The program is ideal for children in 2nd through 5th grade who have an intellectual disability (ID) or developmental disability (DD) diagnosis.

Why Little ELITES Is Needed

Special Olympics Florida offers an inclusionary sports play program for children who are between the ages of 2-7 called Young Athletes. We currently have 12,000 Young Athletes participants involved and the program is continuing to grow.  As children age out of Young Athletes, there can be a lack of Special Olympics Florida sports opportunities for children who are in grades 2-5. This is where Little ELITES comes in! Through Little ELITES, children who age out of Young Athletes can continue to work on their skills in specific sport(s) through structured school-based means of participation and eventually compete within the community. Ultimately, the goal is to keep young children and their families engaged in the Special Olympics Florida support network for life.

What is offered through Little ELITES

Schools can sign up for the following sports:  Soccer, Athletics (Track and Field), Flag Football, and Basketball. Special Olympics Florida provides everything that is needed to run the program. This includes a training on the materials, full kits for each sport, a sports activity guide, and t-shirts and ribbons for a school-hosted Special Olympics Florida Little ELITES  sports day!

Contact Ruth Holland for more information on how to get your school involved!

Sports Equipment Kits

Basketball 6 Junior Size Basketballs 12 Orange Plastic Cones 1 Basketball Playboard 1 Basketball Scorebook 6 Youth Mesh Pinnies – Red 6 Youth Mesh Pinnies – Blue 2 Stopwatches 2 Three Tone Electronic Whistle 1 Hand Inflator 1 All-purpose Storage Bag		Soccer 6 Soccer Balls (size 4) 1 Soccer Playboard 12 Orange Plastic Cones 6 Youth Mesh Pinnies – Red 6 Youth Mesh Pinnies – Blue 2 Stopwatches 2 Three Tone Electronic Whistles 1 Hand Inflator 1 All-Purpose Storage Bag
Flag Football 6 Junior Size Footballs 12 Orange Plastic Cones 1 Flag Football Playboard 6 Youth Mesh Pinnies – Red 6 Youth Mesh Pinnies – Blue 12 Flag Belts (6 Blue and 6 Red) 2 Stopwatches 2 Three Tone Electronic Whistles 1 Hand Inflator 1 All-purpose Storage Bag		Athletics (Track and Field) 1 Clipboard 10 Stopwatches 1 Aluminum Baton – Red 1 Aluminum Baton – Blue 1 120m Open Tape Measure 6 Softballs 12 Pressureless Tennis Balls 1 All-purpose Storage Bag