CFA announces $215,000 in grants for eight early childhood education programs

Russ O Reilly, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·3 min read

Apr. 25—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, inherited consequences of being born to substance-addicted parents, and a general rise in diagnoses of autism may be contributing to what appears to be an increase in early childhood behavioral and mental health challenges, Tracy Helsel, the Johnstown City Center's disabilities and mental health manager said.

Helsel spoke to The Tribune-Democrat on Monday at the Johnstown City Center at 401 Broad St., Johnstown, where a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies will make a difference for children experiencing a range of sensory overload, Helsel said.

"I don't think people are aware of how much the CFA helps the community," she said.

The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, a public, nonprofit foundation, announced the grant for the Johnstown City Center as one of eight grants in a round totaling $215,000 for early childhood care and education initiatives.

Roughly 200 children, ages 3 and 4, participate in early childhood eduction programs at the Johnstown City Center, operated by the Community Action Partnership of Cambria County.

The Johnstown City Center grant was not the largest of the eight announced Monday, but the CFA held a press conference at the Johnstown City Center because that particular agency aims to have a significant impact on helping children with social and emotional skills, CFA Associate Director Angie Berzonski said.

The center's grant will afford a room full of equipment to give children a brief period of time in a calming space so they can rejoin their peers for social interaction in a better emotional state.

The Community Action Partnership of Cambria County's Johnstown City Center includes two early childhood education programs — a state Pre-K Counts program and a federal Head Start program.

"Many children can feel overwhelmed in a traditional preschool setting," Helsel said "Small children can have large emotions, but they are not equipped to handle them. This room can provide a calming, safe environment where they can de-escalate and transition back to the group."

The room will include equipment targeting tactile, aural and visual senses. Some of the specific items will include a marble panel, acoustic sound platform, noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets and a light-up water table. Master's-degree level psychological counseling staff will also work with children in the room.

The need for the sensory wellness room is part of the center's planning to better serve what they see as an increase in children displaying mental, emotional and behavioral problems in recent years.

"A lot of things have contributed to what we are seeing — Autism is clearly on the rise, that's quite often a sensory processing issue," Helsel said. "Children born to addicted mothers — that has certainly increased over the years, so by age 3 and 4 we are seeing a lack of impulse control and ADHD that sometimes goes along to being born to an addicted parent. ... We just went through COVID, where children were home for a couple years; they weren't socializing with other children, not sitting in restaurants, so we are seeing more behavioral concerns because they haven't learned those skills. They haven't been out in the community, so we do see it on the rise at this point."

CFA President Mike Kane said early childhood education is a top priority. The CFA has established a fund specifically for that mission, he said.

In years past, applications of early childhood education agencies that received CFA grants displayed needs from tuition support for families to funding for professional development and advanced curriculum.

"The need for equipment and supplies that allow providers to increase services, particularly for infants and for children with special needs, was a more prevalent theme this grant round," Berzonski said.