Special Buddies

Special Buddies is a peer buddy program designed to build friendships, teach tolerance, encourage diversity, and respect others regardless of intellectual or developmental differences. Our hope is that students at KDE will begin to understand one another’s challenges and strengths, and enrich each child’s sense of purpose and self-esteem, providing them with positive skills for interpersonal relationships.  Being a part of the Special Buddies Program will allow your child to watch the hearts of these exceptional children warm as they build lasting friendships!          

At KDE, our Life Skills, ASIP and ECSE students will be paired with a 4th or 5th grade special buddy.  The buddies are given a scheduled day and time to meet once a week, each week, for approximately 20 minutes.  In addition to their weekly meetings, we will also be hosting a few special events in which our buddies will participate.  We will be holding these special events on campus.

Our Special Buddies are students who demonstrate the following on a regular basis.

• Responsibility
• Reliability 
• Leadership skills
• Satisfactory behavior and social skills
• Willingness to initiate conversations and/or games with their buddy.
• Capable of handling the responsibility of remembering to meet with their buddy each week.
• Most of all, applicants should WANT to be a part of this program.       

If you are a 4th or 5th grade student and would like to participate in Special Buddies, applications will go home in August 2025.  

To learn more about this program please contact:

Courtney Heldenbrand                                                                                                                                                School Coordinator for Special Buddies                                                                                                            courtneymheldenbrand@katyisd.org