About STAR Program, Inc.
STAR Program, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. STAR Program services have been provided across San Diego County since 1996. STAR is a vendor of the San Diego Regional Center (SDRC) that provides funding, in addition to private and corporate donations. STAR conducts psychosocial evaluations and provides socialization skills training in small play groups that are integrated with typical peers as available. These social skills training groups are provided on school sites during after-school hours with intensive staffing support.
The STAR Program also provides behavioral assessments and consultation to families, group and day program providers serving children diagnosed with Autism and other developmental disabilities in San Diego County. Our program is certified by the California Department of Education as a Non-Public Agency. In this capacity, we provide training, behavioral assessments and consultation to school districts across San Diego County to support children with special needs during the classroom day.
The Executive Director of STAR Program, Inc. is Dr. Linda Collins, a licensed Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Collins works together with our Board of Directors to plan for and administer the STAR Program services. The administrative staff includes our Clinical Supervisor and Assessment Supervisor, David Kleber, Ph.D.; Program Coordinator, Maria Genter Hester, M.A.; Office Administrator, Roberta Lawry; Controller - Kip Benson, B.S.; Human Resource Coordinator, Courtney Haynes; and Administrative Assistant, Tanya Krysinski. The social skills training groups are facilitated by Site Managers who have at least a Master's degree in psychology, education or a related field of study with experience working with children diagnosed with autism. The Site Managers are joined by a team of Behavioral Aides who provide 1:1 and 1:2 staffing support to assist the children with participation in the group activities.
Community Activities
The STAR Program staff and families have been involved in many Community Outreach activities around San Diego County. Annual participation includes fundraising, informational booths and Autism awareness activities such as the NAAR Walk (National Association for Autism Research), NFAR Walk (National Foundation for Autism Research) and EARTH Day. In addition to these county wide events, STAR staff is often seen presenting educational and informational presentations to various local groups. For example, ASA (Autism Society of America), TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), School Districts and Parent Groups.
