ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

Wow! Hope it works. That's over
$62,000 per family of Delaware's taxpayers dollars per family!

I thought it interesting that a grant (read one-time funding) was going to be applied to help with bonding between parents and emotionally disturbed 2-5 year old children. Hello U.S.! How about a paid maternity leave for longer than a couple of weeks! How about prevention! How about family resource centres! Just a suggestion.

well i had to expell a 3 yr old from my facility so i can understand why if some one else has to do the same. I didn't just try to communicate to the parents for months about their child , i also tried to change their child and bend my rules at my own home. The childs language was horrible towards me and the other children in my care. The parents were in denial, they just couldn't believe their child was throwing toys and chairs over infants and toddlers heads. For just being upset. The parents said no not my child. when i would be interviewing new parents this child would go and hit another and child and i would kindley say, no, not okay and the child would yell out " NO SHUT-UP" and all the grown ups would say oh my god. This went on to long. Then i finally said to the parents, you know what , i tried and it's not working out, and here's your two weeks notice. They ended up mad at me.

Young children who exhibit challenging behaviors significantly influence the abilities of all children to learn, teachers’ capacities to teach, schools’ readiness for children, and families’ capacities to fully participate in their communities. Young children with challenging behaviors need more opportunities to be included in early typical childhood settings. The inability of many early childhood programs to respond to the needs of young children with challenging behaviors, coupled with the severe shortage of early childhood professionals with mental health expertise, are urgent problems. Mental Health consultation and technical assistance, or “coaching” in early childhood programs are a comparatively low cost, yet yield high returns by reducing expenses associated with later mental health and the social and emotional health problems. The focus of mental health service provision must rest squarely on prevention in the earliest years, where past experiences and common sense tell us it belongs.

The figures you provided in this article would suggest that the Fed. gov't would be spending $62,069/family ($9 million divided by 145 families) on the children from Delaware mentioned in the article. As a native of the area, I am aware that this figure is more than double the median income in the area. As a former President/CEO of a large non-profit preschool that served low-income working families I would have loved to receive such a lavish subsidy. Can you explain?

Ditto on Paula's comment. If the preschool are "kicking them out", perhaps a dual approach that includes training and supporting teachers guiding these children in group care would be also needed. Preschools are partners with parents, helping one side seems least effective.

PCIT is being used in therapeutic preschool programs and family therapy services in St. Louis, Mo. and many other places. It helps families build strong, positive relationships, as do other therapeutic interventions. Our preschoolers are bright, curious children who have overwhelming family histories, and they are SO worth our efforts! Early intervention gives them the skills to lead healthy lives.

The comment that this is essentially a waste of money on a small population is ignorant and short-sighted. "We" spend lots of money on small special populations all the time. Here, disabled preschoolers receive free preschool, often in the same classrooms with children whose parents must pay for it. School students who qualify receive all kinds of special help even if they are the only child with a particular need. We as a society have decided that every little life is valuable and deserves the help needed to become productive adults. If emotioanlly disturbed/delayed preschoolers do not get the help they need and deserve they just become emotionally disturbed/delayed grade schoolers, teenagers, and adults. When they commit horrible crimes because of their disability, will you be demanding answers for how "we" let it get that bad?

Maybe there are better places to spend money that on 1 percent of the preschool population.

This sounds like a great program for families, but what about the preschool settings themselves?

What about some education or training to help the early childhood caregivers(preschool, child care, home providers, etc.) learn about what they can change in their environments, routines, philosophies, etc., so that they can better partner with families and other community agencies (mental and physical health services) instead of just giving up on children and their families?

That intervention for these families will be available is wonderful news. My hope is that increasing positive physical contact within these families and within these children's early care settings is an integral part of the therapy intervention. We know that positive touch increases secure attachment between primary caregivers - both at home and out-of-home - and young children. We also know that positive touch decreases aggression. If increasing touch isn't already a part of this therapy intervention, it should be!