BLOOMINGTON - A "one-stop shop" for families of children with autism is opening Wednesday in the Easter Seals building, 2404 E. Empire St.

The Center for Autism Resources and Education Services (CARES) will offer diagnostics; services to assist children such as social skills development and sensory processing; and resources for families, said Erin Rogers, vice president of program services for Easter Seals/Peoria-Bloomington.

The center will be on the building's second floor and will include a classroom and a materials and reference area, said David Warner, president of the Autism Society of McLean County.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will happen at 3:45 p.m. today (Wednesday), followed by an open house at 4 p.m.

"Our families (with autism) have to knock on a lot of doors to get the answers they need," Rogers said. "Making life easier for those families is one of our goals."

Warner's son, Joey, 7, has autism. He was diagnosed 5½ years ago when his family was living in Minnesota.

"When Joey was diagnosed, we were feeling our way in the dark and it took a long time for us to connect with the right people," Warner said. "Networking is fine but we wanted a one-stop shop."

When the Warners moved to McLean County, they received help from Jacquie Mace, executive director of the Autism Society of McLean County.

"But Jacquie is one person," Warner said. The center allows a variety of community partners to come together to support services to families with autism.

Activities in the classroom will include a social group for children with autism, Warner said. The reference area will include tools to assist children and parents and a work station for parents to download information and resources they need, he said.

As children with autism age, the center will grow with them, providing information on such things as transitioning into the work force, Warner said.

The center traces its roots to discussions that began among a variety of organizations about a year and a half ago, Rogers said. In addition to Easter Seals and the Autism Society, partners include The Autism Program, All Our Kids Network, The Baby Fold, The Autism Program at Illinois State University, Child and Family Connections, Child Care Resource and Referral Network, Central Illinois Service Agency, Illinois Wesleyan University, District 87, Unit 5, Marcfirst and Tri-County Special Education Association.

"This became a priority because of the needs of families," Rogers said. Easter Seals, for example, serves 2,500 children in Bloomington and Peoria and 650 of them have autism, she said.

A $200,000 allocation from the state is helping to support the center, Rogers said. The partners had asked for $500,000 for the center and other services.