Zaniez Kids

Individualizing education in a group environment to inspire brilliance and independence for all kids

ABOUT US

The Zany Truth

Every daycare worker, preschool teacher and public school educator that we encountered created an IEP or some other document full of goals to "normalize" our child on the Spectrum neglecting to see the beauty within him as he is today and to build upon his natural talents. Zaniez was created to foster the brilliance inside children on the Spectrum and to find ways to build upon what is already there for lifelong success in every discipline to include music, art, math, technology, cooking, gardening, sports, and more!

Our Zany Story

There is always an upside to every awful situation and Zaniez is proof of that during the Covid lockdowns. We were given a "gift from God" to watch our child learn for about 7 months and by doing so, we realized that every program that we put him in prior to today not only misunderstood our child but also negated many neurotypical children due to the cookie cutter teaching style and single lane instruction that removed almost every creative element to learning. That wasn't good enough for our munchkin so, we began researching and learned that there was a better way. Zaniez was born that day in September 2020.

No Zany Trade Offs

Zaniez is committed to exploring every option for learning to unearth the brilliance in Spectrum kiddos. We believe that this type of learning environment and philosophy can foster many exceptional and inspiring leaders in society through Zaniez similar to the famous humans on the Spectrum like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Steve Jobs, Michelangelo, Elon Musk, Thomas Jefferson, Dan Akroyd, Andy Warhol, Nikola Tesla, Sir Isaac Newton, Satoshi Tajiri , Temple Grandin, Albert Einstein, Bobby Fischer, and so many more.

Zany Activity Based Ed

Zaniez adopts the concept of Activity Based Learning that offers a homelike, diverse environment with specialized education (S2C) and various options for learning in an exciting environment that includes outside the box thinking and classrooms that combine activity and learning versus solely desk or table learning. It engages the entire body while learning and includes learning by doing such as counting pedals on a flower, popcorn pieces in a bucket, number of jumps on a trampoline or crab walks on a gym mat, chips in a cookie recipe and so many more extraordinary ways to learn by doing. We believe in a classical music approach to daily learning that includes a grand piano for Spectrum kiddos that are naturally musically inclined as well as art easels for our little Picassos and Monets. We are committed to unearthing the brilliance and developing it to be sustained over their lifetime.

Let's Get Zany

Zaniez was created utilizing our child's middle name, which is Zane that means "gift from God". We believe wholeheartedly that kiddos on the Spectrum are little gifts from God and should be cherished and treated in that manner with respect and dignity. We are committed to revolutionizing education for every child on the spectrum as far as our reach affords. Join us in honoring these special needs kiddos in any way you'd like to include inquiring as a parent of a child on the Spectrum, donating as a caring human that believes in our mission to revolutionize education for Spectrum kiddos, applying to work for Zaniez, volunteering at Zaniez, or any other way you feel you can impact the future of our little gifts from God. Zaniez is a 501(c)(3) and there is no charge for Spectrum kiddos and families for school.

ZANIEZ ALL STARS

Dana Leigh Shafman

Deklan Zane Shafman

Dana Leigh Shafman

ZANIEZ EXECUTIVE DRIECTOR

Dana created Zaniez and is committed to revolutionizing education for special needs kiddos on the Spectrum utilizing activity based learning in diverse, unique environments.

Sandra Kay Shafman

Deklan Zane Shafman

Dana Leigh Shafman

ZANIEZ CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sandy is instrumental in the creation of Zaniez in every way but has a knack for all things creative so, she will take the lead on the creative aspects of Zaniez to include creative arts projects.

Deklan Zane Shafman

ZANIEZ CHILD DIRECTOR

Deklan "Zane" Shafman is the inspiration for Zaniez and continues to be the model to help fine tune its philosophy to create an amazing learning environment for Spectrum kiddos.