Parent Information Center awards grants to community organizations
The Parent Information Center of Delaware, in partnership with the Delaware Division of Public Health, announced the recipients of the statewide Family SHADE Mini-Grant Program for 2023-24. The program aims to build state and local capacity, and test small-scale innovative strategies to improve the overall systems of care for youth with special healthcare needs and their families.
“We are thrilled to continue this amazing opportunity to partner with our state in providing innovative strategies that support children and youth with special healthcare needs,” said Meedra Surratte, PIC executive director. “So often, the community organizations who have direct access and greatest impact in our communities do not have the resources, financial or otherwise, to respond to the needs of the communities they serve. This mini-grant process is one way we can support the organizations and communities facing the most significant barriers to accessing care and support. More importantly, the technical assistance provided to the grantees and learning communities allows for meaningful family engagement, capacity building and sustainability in programs serving children and youth with special healthcare needs.”
The 2023-24 mini-grant recipients are Children's Beach House, Down Syndrome Association of Delaware and Teach Zen Inc.
Children's Beach House is being awarded $25,000 to expand its youth development program. Year-round support and activities are offered for children ages 7 to 18 who have a diagnosed speech, language, hearing or communicative delay or disability, have an individual education plan and come from under-resourced homes. The youth development program gives young people opportunities to develop close and supportive relationships with peers and caring adult role models, so they feel safe, loved and at home in the world.
The Down Syndrome Association of Delaware is being awarded $25,000 to work alongside the families of more than 150 youth in Delaware who are under age 17 and have Down syndrome. Families will be referred to the Down Syndrome Program at Nemours, which helps families of children with Down syndrome create medical homes by connecting them with specialists and professionals who work collaboratively with parents and caregivers. The Down Syndrome Program at Nemours has been in existence since 2017 and is one of only a handful of such programs in the country.
Teach Zen Inc. is being awarded $25,000 to provide access to social-emotional learning and self-regulation techniques for use by early childhood educators with children ages 3-5, from low-income families and enrolled in early childhood education programs, to improve their overall emotional well-being.
The three organizations were selected by a diverse team of community reviewers to receive the funding. Each recipient was required to address one of the Title V Maternal and Child Health National Performance Measures or Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs in their mini-grant applications.
