On Sept. 25, LOHF approved Children’s Behavioral Health Grants to five Lancaster County programs.
“These five programs are reaching families and their children who have specific mental health needs, and for whom access to mental health care may be particularly challenging,” said LOHF Executive Director Anna Kennedy. “We’re on a mission to measurably elevate mental health for children in Lancaster County.”
- Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County, Ensuring the Wellbeing of Children Fleeing Domestic Violence through Evidence Based Interventions, $25,000 to expand a partnership between Domestic Violence Services and COBYS that improves the mental health of children fleeing domestic violence, through the use of an evidence-based model. The Seeking Safety program utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy to explore such issues as trauma, addiction, and PTSD. The project will increase family competency about children’s mental health by aligning the curriculum between parent and child programs, and focusing on processing the trauma of experiencing and witnessing domestic violence.
- Aaron’s Acres, Aaron’s Acres Plus, $11,575 to support a new program to meet the needs of young adults, ages 21-26 who have developmental disabilities. There is a tremendous need for therapeutic programs focusing on socialization and communication for individuals once they have graduated from high school. This program will provide opportunities for this group to interact with one another and engage in meaningful activities in a community setting.
- Lancaster Health Center, Striving to make Lancaster County Reach Out and Read an integral part of regular pediatric visits, $15,000, to improve early literacy skills and early literacy an integral part of checkups in early childhood. Language development in the first five years of life and parent-child shared reading have clear benefits, not just to the child’s language and literacy skills, but also psychosocially for parent and child. Language and communication competence provide critical tools for learning, social relationships and behavior and emotion regulation from infancy and beyond.
- Lancaster Public Library, Play, Learn, and Grow Series, $12,800, to connect children and their families to the library, and to offer valuable information from community professionals. Early literacy, nutrition, and child development are a few of the important topics covered during the two five-week sessions. With a focus on non-traditional library users, as well as new and young parents, the workshops foster relationships between community resource providers and those who need them most.
- Compass Mark, Family Services Advocate – Supporting the Unique Needs of Children with Incarcerated Parents, $10,000 to expand the Family Services Advocate program that identifies the unique needs and rights of children with incarcerated parents at Lancaster County Prison. Each child receives a needs assessment, case management, relationship support, and pre/post evaluation. It has been recognized as an innovative early intervention, with demonstrated outcomes for improving resiliency, connecting children and caregivers to community resources, and helping mitigate the impact of childhood trauma.
About LOHF Children’s Behavioral Health Grants Program
LOHF’s grants measurably elevate children’s mental health by supporting local programs that target one or more of the following:
- Care Coordination: Improve the delivery of children’s behavioral healthcare services.
- Parent/Caregiver Education: Enhance the capacity of parents, families, and caregivers through trainings and support.
- Access to Providers: Improve capacity of providers to support and treat children.
We encourage applicants to replicate existing models that have been successful, and to work collaboratively with others to improve mental health services for children and youth ages birth to 26.
An additional $100,000 in grant funds will be available in 2019.
Online applications are now available, and must be submitted online by March 1, 2019. Tax exempt community benefit organizations serving Lancaster County are eligible to apply. To learn more, please visit www.lohf.org/grants.
