TLC show features area family of 12

Upcoming episode filmed at Special Strides in Monroe

BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer

If they weren’t famous already, the Hayes family of Marlboro will soon be known by Americans everywhere who tune in to the cable network TLC.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TLC The Hayes family of Marlboro is the focus of "Table for 12," a new series airing on the TLC cable network. PHOTO COURTESY OF TLC The Hayes family of Marlboro is the focus of “Table for 12,” a new series airing on the TLC cable network. The family is the subject of a new series called “Table for 12,” which debuted this week.

Eric Hayes, a Marlboro police officer, and his wife Betty are the parents of three sets of multiples. First, there were Kevin and Kyle, now age 12; then, came Kieran and Meghan, who are 10; and of course, the family then made headlines with the births of their sextuplets: Tara, Rachel, Ryan, Connor, Eric John (E.J.) and Rebecca, who are now 4 years old.

When they decided to start a family, Eric and Betty never fathomed they would one day be the parents of 10 children. The two take a hands-on approach to parenting, and have raised their children to assist with daily chores and have taught them to help take care of one another. Daily tasks include, for example, six loads of laundry, so the parents say it’s vital for everyone to lend a helping hand.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TLC Tara Hayes, 4, and Kevin Hayes, 12, have some fun in front of the TLC film crew. PHOTO COURTESY OF TLC Tara Hayes, 4, and Kevin Hayes, 12, have some fun in front of the TLC film crew. “Table for 12” will not be the first show of its kind for TLC, as “Jon & Kate Plus 8” and “Little People, Big World” also focus on unique families.

“There is an ongoing fascination with large families,” said Nancy Daniels, senior vice president of production and development with TLC. “The Hayes family is truly inspirational, and the strong bond they share as they tackle everyday obstacles as a large family is captivating to watch.”

On the show, viewers will see the family’s routines and experience special occasions, including birthdays, outings to the aquarium, ice-skating and bowling trips, and a trip to the Shore.

The first two episodes premiered on March 23 and will re-air at various times. New episodes will air at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Mondays.

Therapeutic riding in Monroe

An episode that will debut at 9:30 p.m. March 30 features Rebecca, who has cerebral palsy, taking a hippotherapy session at Special Strides Therapeutic Riding Center, located at Congress Hill Farm in Monroe Township.

According to the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, hippotherapy is conducted by occupational, physical and speech therapists specially trained to use the movement of a horse to facilitate improvements in their client. Therapists use traditional techniques such as neurodevelopmental treatment and sensory integration along with the movement of the horse as part of their treatment strategy.

Laurie Landy, executive director of Special Strides, said Rebecca was filmed for the TV show during her first lesson in early January. The Hayes family received a tour of the farm when they came with TLC for the January visit.

The youngster has since had two additional lessons, and is now a student at Special Strides. In the episode, Rebecca rides Snuffy, a 24-year-old Norwegian Fjord gelding, one of nine therapeutic riding horses in the program. According to Landy, there was an “amazing” difference in Rebecca after just one session.

“You usually don’t see such a dramatic change” after the first ride, Landy said.

Rebecca, who has difficulty holding her head up, was able to do so for half an hour after getting off the horse, she said.

Rebecca is not the youngest person in the hippotherapy program. Landy said there have been children as young as 18 to 24 months old in the program, but at age 4 the brain has more plasticity.

Landy said she looks forward to watching Rebecca change and grow as she continues in the hippotherapy program. In those sessions, the horses are the strategy to effect change, she said. Landy is excited to have the program featured on national television, as she wants families all over the country to learn about this form of therapy, which she said is very beneficial to people with disabilities.