Agenda - 05-19-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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EMOTIONALLY TROUBLED PRESCHOOLERS 034 Goals for Services: Year One As an outgrowth of a Community Forum held September 27, 1986, where issues related to supporting the emotionally troubled preschooler were discussed,four committees began working to develop goals for consultation services,a therapeutic preschool, resource development and the coordination and funding of all services. While each committee covered different content,all committees worked with the following premises: 1. All children and families have strengths. All professionals working with them should seek to recognize these strengths. 2. A wide variety of family forms(single parent,extended family, etc.)and cultural traditions(urban, rural, Black,Asian,etc) are valid and appropriate settings for raising physically and emotionally healthy children. Resources for troubled children and their families should respect diversity of family form and culture. Services should be culturally appropriate and acceptable. 3. Services must recognize the needs of low income children and families and therefore be both affordable and accessible. 4. Resources must be developed to serve all of Orange County and not be limited to the Chapel Hill- Carrboro area. 5. The child must be seen as "embedded" in an ecological system involving her/his family,day care/preschool staff and significant others. Therapeutic interventions must address the child and family in these contexts and work with those "others." 6. While there is a commitment to the development of broad programs that are preventive in nature,the initial focus of this effort is children in child care(day care or preschool) settings who are seen as having troubling behaviors. Resources for child care staff are a top priority. 7. While there is much to be done to develop the full array of services that are needed, there is a recognition that this initial effort must start small,develop a few services well and then expand. 8. Significant effort must be made to involve minority professionals and citizens in this effort. The following is a summary of the goals for service developed by each of the four committees: A. Coordination And Funding of All Services An Interagency Advisory Committee should be formed to support and evaluate the development and operation of services for emotionally troubled preschoolers. This committee should maintain the broad representation involved in this planning process and include but not be limited to membership from both school systems,OPC Mental Health Center, the Mental Health Association, the Orange County Day Care Coalition, NCMH Department of Psychiatry,a pediatrician or other child health professional,other agencies involved in the delivery of services to preschool children,and some individuals who served in this planning process. 2. While services may be initially targeted to children,family and staff in child care centers in the county, no child, family or child care teacher should ever be denied services. In particular, no mental health services should ever be denied to a child, her/his family or child care program because of income. No barriers should impede a low income family's ability to access these services. 3. While ideally the goal would be for the simultaneous development of consultation services and a therapeutic preschool,the creation of coasultation services is seen as the to priority because the greatest number of chilicirtafmilabelpesiatthelost cast. However; in order or he consu to ion serVi es to ave the necessary support,a therapeutic preschool needs to be develo,r' wi i• six months of the b nimof consultetim ya • se -c i 'ren who can not adequately be sei'ye"by co ultaton serves provided in a regular chi [fie setting. 4. At the end of the first year of service delivery to emotionally troubled preschoolers and their families and child care centers,a thorough evaluation should be completed that includes recommendations for changes in the current delivery of services as well as the development of additional services. This evaluation should also reflect the recommendations of this planning process for second and third year services. •