Countywide : Bunny Pays Early Visit to Students

The Easter bunny came nine days early to visit about 70 surprised preschoolers at the Speech and Language Development Center on Friday morning.

The students gathered around the Easter bunny to touch its nose and sit in its furry lap. During the celebration, each of the speech- and language-handicapped students received a plastic egg with treats inside, as well as a tiny box of raisins.

The students gazed in wonderment at the furry guest before approaching close enough to claim a colored egg.

Their puzzled faces lit up when the bunny touched their hand and smiled.

A few of the students who apparently anticipated the event were wearing paper cutouts of rabbit ears.

The bunny was actually an employee of Colonial Insurance of Anaheim, which has “adopted” the school in Buena Park. The school provides special education for 165 students from throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties.

“The bunny visit is good for the kids. It fits in with what we try to do here,” said Muff Elstran, director of the school. Therapy programs at the school often emphasize sensory and coordination skills, she said.

After the bunny’s visit to the preschoolers, Colonial employees held an Easter egg hunt for the elementary students there. Each student was given a paper bag to fill with eggs that were nestled in the grassy field behind the school.

Students at the center are disabled in some way that precludes them from attending public schools.

Most are transported to and from the school every morning to learn communication and behavioral skills aimed at preparing them to enter the public school system.

Some of the students were disabled by prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol.

Much of the school’s $5-million budget is funded by the state and the school districts.

The employees at Colonial Insurance also assist the school by participating in holiday activities and donating supplies and training for staff and students.