Olympic training kicked off Wednesday evening for area children ages 2 through 7.

Nicole Caporale started a Special Olympics Young Athletes program, located at the YMCA of Austin for children ages 2 through 7, after the birth of her daughter Liliana, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome a year ago. Through research, Caporale found options for programs for younger children with special needs in Austin were limited.

“I found that we are kind of lacking for younger kids,” she said.

Caporale then found the Young Athletes program through the Special Olympics and thought it would be a great fit for thecommunity.

Young Athletes is an innovative sports play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities designed to introduce them to the world of sports. Caporale said it promotes an inclusive environment while helping develop physical, cognitive and social development. The program kicked off last Wednesday, on Liliana’s first birthday. Though her daughter can’t participate yet, Caporale hopes the program goes well and is going strong when Liliana is old enough.

“I thought, no better time than now to get it started so it’s up and running when she’s ready,” she said.

The program had a handful of children for its first evening, and was enjoyable for children and parents alike.

Seven-year-old Ella Riley smiled as she went through moves at the YMCA.

“It’s a great addition to the community,” said Jamie Riley, Ella’s mother.

Jamie and her husband, Brian, both watched and smiled along with their daughter as she participated in the program, calling it a great, inclusive opportunity to help Ella build confidence and meet new people.

One of the things Caporale liked most about the program was the inclusiveness, since it isn’t only for children with special needs. She said the skills that will be focused on include foundational skills, balancing and jumping, trapping and catching, kicking, walking and running, throwing, striking, and other more advanced skills. The program helps children develop motor skills and learn how to socialize with other children.

“It’s inclusive, just trying to get kids to be able to interact with each other and learn from each other,” Caporale said. “And know that there’s a lot more similarities than differences.”

The program is free for children to attend, and attendees don’t have to be members of the YMCA. Caporale and several other volunteers, including other parents and a special education teacher, will lead the program, and the YMCA donated space in its toddler room — a former racquetball court — for the program, which will meet Wednesdays through Nov. 4.

“They were very willing and I think excited to be a part of this new endeavor,” Caporale said of the YMCA.

The space also allows room to grow into things such as olympic’s swimming or gymnastics in the future.

Caporale is a teacher at Southgate Elementary School, currently on leave to care for her daughter. She said with the knowledge of teaching and working with children, it was a good fit for her to help lead the group.

The Special Olympics provided the equipment for the class, and leaders had to come up with a location and volunteers all on their own. The program aims to get as many children involved as possible, so organizers try to look for locations that won’t cost too much and volunteers to keep the program free for everyone.

Caporale hopes this program will open doors for future similar programs. She said the program is designed to teach children about different sports they may want to join later in life.

“I would hope that it would build upon this in the future, and I guess for my daughter specifically that she will have a community that embraces her and isn’t fearful or cautious of getting to know her,” she said. “I think that so much has changed in such a short period of time for children with special needs. … What 30 years ago was true is no longer true.”

“I hope not just our community but the world sees we don’t have to limit the potential of kids with special needs,” she added.

Caporale hoped the children have fun, learn about different sports, and most importantly learn they can be friends with anyone from any background, whether they have special needs or not.

—Jason Schoonover contributed to this report.