Celiac Kids: Resources for New England Families

🏥 New England Organizations & Programs

• Celiac Kids Connection (Greater Boston) – a family-run nonprofit based at Boston Children’s Hospital, going since 1992. New member families get a gluten-free welcome basket, and membership is open no matter where your child is treated. Educational events, members-only outings, and an active parent community.
• National Celiac Association (Needham, MA) – a national organization headquartered right here in New England. Webinars, a helpline, a gluten-free camps list, and the ROCK program below.
• Raising Our Celiac Kids (ROCK) – the NCA’s program for celiac kids, teens, and parents. Especially strong on the emotional side of diagnosis: food anxiety, sibling jealousy, getting teens to take their health seriously, and the transition to college. Regional chapter: ROCK Fairfield County, CT.
• Boston Children’s Hospital Celiac Disease Program – one of the largest pediatric celiac programs in the country, with its own family support group.
• Connecticut Children’s Celiac Disease Program (Hartford, CT) – pediatric GI team with dietitians who provide gluten-free education and counseling. Our first-hand experience: our daughter went through the nutritional program here and it was very helpful. She took a two-hour class covering nutrition, gluten-free education, label reading, and the etiology behind celiac — and the team helped us get all the tools we needed to put a 504 plan in place with her school. If you’re newly diagnosed in Connecticut, this is a great place to start.
• Camp Celiac – a 100% gluten-free sleepaway camp for ages 8–16, running since 2000, with an all-volunteer staff and need-based grants. Long held in North Scituate, RI; as of 2026 it’s at Camp Speers YMCA in Dingmans Ferry, PA (about 4 hours from Boston) — still the camp New England celiac families know best.

💻 National & Virtual Programs

• Generation GF (Gluten Intolerance Group) – free membership program for gluten-free kids, teens, and young adults: a kids’ magazine, mentorship project, GF Teen Summit, and summer camps.
• Celiac Chat – free virtual peer-to-peer mentorship pairing newly diagnosed kids and teens with young mentors who have celiac themselves. Founded by a teen with celiac; partners with the NCA and ROCK.

🏫 School Accommodations: 504 Plans

Many parents don’t realize celiac disease qualifies as a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. That means kids in public and charter schools have the right to a 504 plan with accommodations like gluten-free meal options, safe food storage, GF options at class parties and field trips, and staff training. The process starts with a written request to your school for a 504 evaluation, backed by a doctor’s diagnosis letter. This is one of the things Connecticut Children’s helped our family put in place, and it made a real difference.

• Model 504 plan template – Celiac Disease Foundation
• “Does my child need a 504 plan?” – National Celiac Association
• 504 planning guide – MassGeneral for Children
• Creating an IHP or 504 plan – Beyond Celiac
• Gluten-free safety at school – Gluten Intolerance Group

Starting the 504 conversation with your school? The printable Celiac School Kit from our shop includes a 504 conversation checklist, a fill-in teacher letter, lunchbox cards, and a class-party plan — written by the nurse practitioner and celiac mom behind this site.

🤝 Local Support Groups

Smaller regional groups meet around New England — contact details change often, so check the NCA support group directory or Beyond Celiac’s directory for current information.

• Greater New Haven Celiac Group (CT) – meetings with speakers and a dedicated children’s group
• New Englander Celiac Support Group (Concord Hospital, NH) – meets a few times a year with speakers and tasting buffets
• Seacoast Celiac Support Group (Newington, NH) – covers seacoast NH, southern Maine, and northern Massachusetts
• Central Vermont Celiac Support Group (Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, VT) – monthly meetings