CII’s Home Visitation Program Changed My Son’s Life

Written by

My name is Shirlys, and my son received life-changing services at Children’s Institute.

When I was seven months pregnant, I was visiting a friend while a CII staff member was there, and I loved the way she interacted with her two-year old daughter. I wanted that for my son, Sebastián. So, she put me in touch with Wendy from CII’s Home Visitation program.

Our team of home visitors were there for us every step of the way. They taught us what developmental milestones Sebastián needed to reach at six months, ten months and beyond. Everyone told us that it was normal for him to not be speaking at his age, that “boys just talk later than girls,” but not CII.

If it weren’t for our home visitors—Wendy, Mayra and Stephanie—Sebastián wouldn’t have been diagnosed with autism this early and he wouldn’t be receiving the help he is now, including language skills, paired with occupational and behavioral therapy. One of the most important things CII’s program has done is helping our son with his speech, giving him the confidence to use his voice.

Our greatest hope as parents is that this early diagnosis, and the support he is receiving, leads to an understanding of his condition and the ability to adjust to society so he can lead a fulfilling life, not limited by his condition. We want what every parent wants: a healthy child with everything they need to reach their abundant potential—educational achievement and being able to participate in activities like sports and the arts.

I am eternally grateful to Children’s Institute for giving us the opportunity to help improve the quality of our son’s life.

Please consider making a gift to CII this holiday season so that more children across Los Angeles can have the same opportunities and success as SebastiĂĄn.

What You Missed at Our Trauma-Informed Care Conference

Written by

On Wednesday, September 28, Children’s Institute held our annual Trauma Informed Care Conference, where we spoke with leading professionals about actionable insights for healing collective trauma. Nearly 600 participants heard from our brilliant keynote presenters Andrea Elliott and Michael D. Tubbs as well as our incredible panelists Dr. Angela Venegas-Murillo and Alain Datcher. As a leader in trauma-informed care and evidence-based clinical treatment, Children’s Institute trains thousands of professionals and caregivers each year—including our own teachers, therapists, care coordinators and others. This annual conference is central to that work, because it challenges us to bring the most innovative thinkers together with the front-line professionals who are dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth and caregivers who experience trauma, violence and adversity.

This year, teachers, healthcare workers, mental health workers, and other frontline professionals heard about what lived experience can teach us in moments of compassion fatigue and persistence in fighting for social justice. Children’s Institute’s very own Behavioral Health and Wellness Manager for our Head Start Program, Dr. Brandi Eichstedt, led us through a conversation with Pulitzer Prizing winning journalist, author, and keynote speaker Andrea Elliott, who spoke on her long-term immersion work following an impoverished family in New York City.

Andrea shared her journey following Dasani, the eldest of her 7 brothers and sisters, her parents Chanel and Supreme and their heartbreaking and inspiring experience with homeless shelters in New York city. She highlighted the patterns of trauma and systemic racism contributing to the cycle of poverty the family faced. Andera reflected, “when you are too busy surviving, you cannot thrive,” which was painfully true for Dasani’s family. Despite disheartening stories of loss and struggle, Andrea also highlighted all of the power and strength she witnessed in Dasani, providing a more complete and compassionate portrait of a family that otherwise may have remained invisible in a society that devalues and dehumanizes the poor. Andrea reflected, “People often talk about the cycle of poverty. I also see the family story as the cycle of power. The cycle of resilience.” Brandi and Andrea discussed this resilience present in less privileged families and spoke about what types of resources, services, and system reformation we can work towards to ensure equity for all families.

Brandi and Andrea then joined panelists Dr. Angela Venegas-Murillo, Assistant Professor and General Pediatrician in the Department of Pediatrics and Urban Health Institute at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Alain Datcher, former executive director of the Los Angeles County Youth Commission. Together, the panel discussed the dynamic between the family and the systems we currently have in place to support families and children. Alain continued to touch on Dasani’s story, noting that “how the system interacted with [her] family is also part of the trauma. That cannot be overstated.” Angela agreed in that we are already working towards empowered communities, but “the justice side is what we need to work on.” All of our experts shared their experiences in working with populations who have collective trauma, and agreed that we must continue to meet families where they are, every day, if we want to make sustainable change. As learners and educators, their discussion armed front-line professionals with new ways to frame challenges and opportunities in their everyday advocacy for system-involved children and families.

In our final keynote presentation, former Mayor of Stockton, CA and youngest Mayor of any major city in American history, Michael D. Tubbs utilized parables, personal experience and policy perspective to demonstrate the critical need to shift to a human-centered response to poverty and trauma. Mayor Tubbs shared his lived experience growing up in poverty and why he eventually went on to create the first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot in the US. He spoke to the core issue of perpetuating cycles of injustice, to which he commented, “part of the Good Samaritan impulse is to have pity for people…it can lead us to think that the people are the problem.” Mayor Tubbs reminded us that at the center of systems and services are people. He said, “the best way to respond to trauma is to see folks as fully human, particularly because we know trauma is dehumanizing.” CII President and CEO Martine Singer and Mayor Tubbs finished the conference by speaking to the empathy and compassion it takes for everyone on the frontlines to do the work we do.

We want to thank everyone for coming to this year’s conference, and we hope to see you again next year!

Fun Science Experiments for Families

Written by

August is a time of preparing to go back to school and reconnecting with friends and loved ones. We want to encourage family bonding and enrichment by celebrating all the different ways you and your family can have fun in your own home!

Have you ever tried an at-home science experiment? It’s a lot easier than it sounds and you don’t need many extra materials or ingredients. Check out a few recipes below.

Erupting Volcano
Skills Level: Basic
Messiness Level: High
Skill Practiced: Chemical reactions

What you’ll Need:
* 2 Liter bottle of coke
* Packet of Mentos
OR
* Warm water
* Dishwashing detergent
* Baking soda
* Vinegar
* Empty soda bottle

If using the Mentos method, all you’ll need to do is drop one tablet into the 2 liter soda bottle. Make sure to do this outside and keep your children at a safe distance. If using the baking soda method, place an empty container on a tray and use play dough or foil to create the “volcano” base around it (so the opening of the container is the top of the volcano). Drop remaining ingredients into container and watch it erupt! See here for more info.

Sink or Float
Skills Level: Beginner
Messiness Level: Low
Skill Practiced: Water density

What You’ll Need:
* Sink, bathtub, or large container of water
* Objects of various densities and size (ball, coin, empty bottle, rock, etc.)

This game is best for young toddlers and infants. While bathing your child, give them a variety of objects to try and sink. Let them observe which objects sink (more dense objects) and which objects float (more hollow objects).

DIY Lava Lamp
Skills Level: Easy
Messiness Level: Medium
Skill Practiced: Chemical reactions

What You’ll Need:
* Vegetable oil
* Water
* Empty container (ex. empty water bottle)
* Antacid tablet (ex. Alka-Seltzer)
* Food coloring

Mix water with desired food flooring. Break up the antacid tablets into a few pieces and drop into water. Add vegetable oil and watch the liquids and oil separate into fun globs! See here for more info.

Potion by Steve Jurvetson

Solar Oven
Skills Level: Difficult
Messiness Level: Medium
Skill Practiced: Solar energy

What You’ll Need
* Carboard box (ex. Pizza box or shoe box)
* Aluminum foil
* Plastic wrap
* Food to cook (we recommend s’mores)
Optional:
* Wooden Skewer or stick
* Plastic wrap

The most basic solar oven can be made with just a box and foil. Simply wrap the box in the foil and set your desired food inside. Then, place the box in the sun for a few hours and watch your food cook (or melt!). For more precision and faster cooking, prop the pizza box up with a stick or skewer and place the food on the base of the box. Cover the bottom part of the box with plastic wrap. The foil from the top of the box will reflect down into the bottom, melting the food faster. See here for more info.

Dinosaur Bones
Skills Level: Medium
Messiness Level: Medium
Skill Practiced: Paleontology

What You’ll Need:
* Flour
* Salt
* Water
* Images of dinosaur bones
* Oven

Mix the flour, water, and salt until you get a thick dough. Shape your dough into different bone shapes. You can leave the bones as clay material to reshape, or you can bake them at 250 degrees for 3 hours to achieve a hard bone-like texture. See here for more info.

Egg Drop
Skills Level: Easy
Messiness Level: High
Skill Practiced: Gravity
What You’ll Need:
* A few eggs (varies on how many you want to use)
* Various objects to wrap/store eggs in (ex. felt, plastic wrap, foil, leftover container, blanket)

Find a high point (such as stairs or a landing) to drop the eggs from. Using the materials gathered, create structure to protect egg from cracking when dropped. Drop protected egg from high point to see if it stays together or breaks!

July is National Minority Mental Health Month, but What Does That Really Mean?

Written by

The Department of Health and Human Services officially recognizes this month as a time to bring awareness to the stigma and barriers racial and ethnic minorities face in accessing and utilizing mental health services. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) states that while most minority groups have similar or fewer mental disorders than whites, “the consequences of mental illness in minorities may be long lasting.” This is due to a lack of access to primary healthcare, insurance, and mental health education. Additionally, racial minority groups are often treated with cultural insensitivity by healthcare and mental health professionals. According to the APA, many patients in minority groups are underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and factors that contribute to this include “language differences between patient and provider, stigma of mental illness among minority groups, and cultural presentation of symptoms.”

Our mental health and wellness providers at CII are acutely aware of these issues, which is why a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed approach is the foundation of their work. We asked a few of our staff why specifically recognizing minority mental health is crucial. Here’s what they shared:

“Mental health in our communities is still a hard thing to sell, especially in lower income communities. Our communities have a hard time trusting systems, and this has created a barrier. Breaking down this barrier has been an amazing process for me, specifically.”

– Jessie E Gonzalez. Clinical Supervisor

“It is important to recognize minority mental health, because mental illness does not have a specific race/ethnicity, and it can affect anyone regardless of their race. However, not everyone is able to get the support needed due to mental health being stigmatized in many minority groups. It is very important that mental illness gets treated in all minority groups.”

– Elizabeth Magana, Child and Family Specialist

“I feel that it’s important because I am aware that racial and sexual minority groups experience higher levels of anxiety and other challenges.”

– Anna Maria Guerra, Therapist

“In mental health particularly, it is important to provide the services necessary to restore trust and mend what has been broken by systems that have marginalized, exploited, and forgotten communities of color for centuries.”

-Karen Luna Gonzalez, Therapist

“Recognizing minority mental health is very important as it helps our community become better in a sense that people can learn to be more understanding and help reach those that need assistance but may not have the resources.”

– Ashley Ramirez, Intensive Care Coordinator

“Coming from a Latino family and community, mental health is considered a myth. Therapists and medication are for ‘crazy people’ or ‘the weak minded’. It’s important to educate our communities and let them know that it is okay to speak about trauma. It is okay to seek help without having to fear what people will think of you or how they will perceive you. It took me a while to be able to seek help myself, because I did not want my family to see me as a ‘weak’ person. I’m thankful that I was able to connect with a therapist of my own and also educate my family on the importance of mental health to break the stigma.”

– Sofia Manzo, Parent Partner

The Office of Minority Health has put together an abundance of resources for anyone looking to seek care or learn more about how to advocate for minority mental health equity. For an extensive list of information on coping with stress, trauma, violence, substance use, diagnoses, and treatment, head to: National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month — Resources and Publications (hhs.gov)

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of self-harm, harm to others, or any other mental health crisis, call or text 988 to get connected to a free crisis counselor.

Healing Childhood Trauma From Gun Violence in Watts

Written by

At just two square miles, Watts is one of Los Angeles’ smallest neighborhoods – showing up as a blip on the sprawling 500 square mile footprint of the city. Yet with a median annual income of $25,000 and five large housing developments, Watts is a small community dealing with large issues when it comes to violence and trauma.

Watts has dealt with decades of high crime rates and frequent gun violence. Multiple generations have grown up in a neighborhood where the rattling bang of a gunshot has been a regular occurrence and the risk of a family member or friend being targeted or hit by a stray bullet is a real threat. During the span of one week in late March 2019, a total of 26 shootings with 10 fatalities took place across Los Angeles, with multiple incidents in Watts.

Minimizing the impact of gun violence is what a new initiative at Children’s Institute is working toward. Known as The REACH TEAM, CII is partnering with the LA City Attorney’s Office and LAPD to respond to gun violence by expanding access to crucial intervention and counseling services for children in Watts.

“Gun violence is so present in these neighborhoods,” said Eztli Herrera, Care Coordinator on The REACH TEAM. “We don’t want to minimize how traumatic this is and act like it’s normal.”

Residents in Watts have endured decades of gun violence that has caused generational trauma and toxic stress.

Prior to joining CII, Herrera worked in schools around South LA. She said she saw a lot of nervousness and anxiety tied to gun violence whenever the topic came up around students.

At one point, she remembers a group of students swapping details about a time they had a gun pulled on them after school. Other times they talked about having few options for walking home safely where there would be a lower potential of encountering somebody with a gun.

Deputy City Attorney Lara Drino said that in environments where gun violence is prevalent, children are likelier to intersect with violent crimes as adults. After hearing about these outcomes at the Watts Gang Task Force meetings in and around Watts, Drino said she saw an opportunity to increase mental health resources as a way to help children in Watts heal from trauma.

Without counseling services, exposure to gun violence can have damaging results that last throughout adulthood. Viewed as a toxic stress, children can develop symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder that impact brain development and physical health. Academic achievement, professional success and family stability are all negatively impacted as well.

Watch the Spectrum News story on The REACH TEAM

It is essential that children who have already experienced gun violence have access to counseling and support services. These services can help them heal from past trauma and give them the tools and resources to navigate future dangers. Drino said she also sees The REACH TEAM connecting kids with other community-based initiatives like after-school programs that keep children away from gang activity.

“If we can intervene in these kids’ lives early and get them on a different trajectory with positive mental health, hopefully we can keep them out of the criminal justice system as either a victim or a suspect,” Drino said.

The REACH TEAM wouldn’t be complete without LAPD who provides background on neighborhood dynamics around housing developments while also sharing immediate updates whenever there are reports of shots being fired in Watts. This work is overseen by Lieutenant Gena Brooks of LAPD, who is also on CII’s Board of Trustees.

CII’s Clinical Program Manager Ginger Lavender-Wilkerson with The REACH TEAM members Deputy City Attorney Lara Drino and LAPD Lieutenant Gena Brooks.

“Normally when we respond, we’re looking for the victim to take care of, for the suspect, to take them in to custody, and we’re walking by all these little casualties of war who have seen it, and what we realize now is that hurt people hurt others,” Lt. Brooks said.

While Herrera handles the day-to-day work of implementing the strategies of the program, Clinical Program Manager Ginger Lavender-Wilkerson, LMFT, oversees the team along with Maria Reyes, who provides counseling and therapy and helps with outreach.

Based out of CII’s Watts Campus, The REACH TEAM goes out into the community and responds when shots are fired. Whenever LAPD informs The REACH TEAM of a shooting, the group moves into the area to find kids who may have seen or heard the gun shots. They talk to community leaders and neighbors to understand who exactly has been affected.

When they learn about a child who has witnessed gun violence, they reach out to the family with a care package that includes a teddy bear and other items designed to help a child relax. The team then works with the family to set up short-term counseling. As children access services, assessments are made around longer-term therapy and support groups. In some cases, it may take more than a month for the signs of trauma to appear so the team checks back in with families who may have initially declined services.

If we can intervene in these kids’ lives early and get them on a different trajectory with positive mental health, hopefully we can keep them out of the criminal justice system as either a victim or a suspect.

–  Lara Drino, Deputy City Attorney

Reyes said children have shared with her that it feels good to know they now have a place to go if they need support.

“The REACH TEAM has helped kids understand it’s okay to talk about how they’re feeling or what they’re going through,” Reyes said. “This work is going to dictate the health of the next generation in Watts.”

When designing The REACH TEAM, Lavender-Wilkerson said it was crucial for them to go out and meet residents to better understand their needs. She said mental health resources can carry a stigma in Watts where people most likely won’t utilize these services unless the team was knocking at their door and following up with them. She said this is a unique and proactive approach that is time-intensive, but will likely determine the initiative’s eventual success.

CII's initiative to prevent trauma from gun violenceThe REACH TEAM at CII includes Maria Reyes, Yvette Martinez, Eztli Herrera, and Ginger Lavender-Wilkerson.

“While counseling is focused on children, she said the team’s outreach is geared toward helping the whole family. In most cases, she said parents and other family members have also grown up around gun violence and deal with these dangers on a daily basis. They too have experienced trauma and need outlets to heal.

“Parents are affected by this as well,” she said. “Many don’t recognize their own trauma, because they’ve accepted gun violence as a regular thing.”

The REACH TEAM is focused on partnership at all levels of the community and refers adults to free mental health counselors or support groups like Mothers of Murdered Children. Lavender-Wilkerson said it is essential that the whole family heals from gun violence, not just the children.

The REACH TEAM has helped kids understand it’s okay to talk about how they’re feeling or what they’re going through. This work is going to dictate the health of the next generation in Watts.

– Maria Reyes, Therapist

When The REACH TEAM isn’t working directly with families affected by a recent shooting, they are out in the community educating groups on the importance of counseling and ways to stay safe in their neighborhood.

Herrera estimates the team attended upwards of 30 meetings in the last few months with different community groups at housing developments, schools and churches. She is frequently picking up the phone or meeting in-person with community leaders.

She said it is important for The REACH TEAM to be an active part of the Watts community. She wants residents to know she and her team members are a resource, whether it is a question about the best route home from school or the benefits of accessing counseling after a traumatic event.

Herrera said it is important to let people know they aren’t alone. They have a whole network of people here to help them.

While the program has only been in place since September 2018, Drino said she is already seeing results that point to this being an essential program to helping Watts heal from decades of gun violence. If this program is successful, Drino said she can see it expanding to other parts of South LA that face similar challenges.

Last month, The REACH TEAM held the first workshop in what will be a series of courses designed to give kids important tools for avoiding gun-related traumas. A group of 20-plus kids listened intently as the team went over the long-term effects of trauma and how counseling can help. The kids were appreciative and optimistic about the guidance they were receiving.

For Herrera, this was another reminder that The REACH TEAM is approaching gun violence in a unique way. Classes like these, in addition to the other work being implemented, highlight the evolution of community support and trauma that differed from when she first started in the neighborhood. The last few months have been a positive first step in what will hopefully be a successful campaign to heal Watts after decades of struggling against gun violence.

“We want to continue a dialogue and start the healing process,” Herrera said. “We’re reaching out and we’re really trying to make a difference.”

CII is working to help children affected by gun violence

The Gift of Possibilities

Written by

My name is LaRae and I’m a working mother of four children. I survived years of living in a violent household, as a child and into my adulthood. I have fought to keep my children safe, because they are the most precious and important people in my life. Our family has experienced significant trauma, including multiple incidents of gun violence, personal injury, murder and homelessness.

I grew up in the projects in South LA where I learned very fast that I had to get tough, even though I was a child who didn’t like violence. One day, my dad sat me in a folding chair and invited all the neighborhood kids to hit and kick me. Afterwards, he said, “Now are you mad enough to go and fight?”

Throughout my life, I was also struggling with my own internal battle. I was constantly under the pressure of thoughts that the world and I just didn’t fit. I lived over 20 years of my life suicidal and it reached a point where I couldn’t take care of my children. This is when I was introduced to Children’s Institute. I didn’t know much about myself at that time. The therapist would say, “We are going to explore how to identify our feelings,” and I would start to release every secret I’d been holding throughout my life that I’d been ashamed of, or had weighed me down. I told it all — I got free.

Children’s Institute has been a part of my journey from contemplating the worst to accomplishing the best. From teaching me how to create a new vision for my life that is centered on purposeful living and stability, to attending conferences to help me transition back into work.

All four of my children benefited from Children’s Institute’s therapeutic programs teaching us to work together as a family, learning how to build healthy relationships with ourselves, with one another, and also with our community.

Today, my family is doing great, and we are exactly where we are supposed to be — happy, healthy and safe.

Happy Holidays,

 

 

Make a difference in the lives of children and families with an end-of-year donation this holiday season.

 

Dr. Todd Sosna Named Chief Program Officer at Children’s Institute

Written by

We’re pleased to announce that Todd Sosna, Ph.D. has been named Children’s Institute’s Chief Program Officer effective today.

In this new role, Dr. Sosna will lead all Early Education, Behavioral Health, Family Strengthening and Community Innovations programs for the agency, overseeing a budget of more than $70 million and a staff of 800.

Dr. Sosna has served as Interim Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at Children’s Institute since April 2018 and held the role of Senior VP for Program Evaluation and Improvement from 2012 to 2014.

“Over the past eight months, Dr. Sosna has demonstrated strong leadership, collaboration and accountability, and has fostered strong morale throughout the reorganization of our clinical and community programs. We currently have the unique opportunity to unify our broad array of services to achieve lasting impact for the children and families we serve, and I am confident Dr. Sosna is the best suited candidate for this crucial role,” said Martine Singer, President & CEO, Children’s Institute.

“As Chief Program Officer, I look forward to strengthening CII’s position as a leader in child trauma, behavioral health and early education, and deepening partnerships with other community-based organizations, funders and policymakers,” said Dr. Sosna, Chief Program Officer, Children’s Institute.

Dr. Sosna’s prior positions have included Senior VP of Operations for Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, Deputy Director for the California Institute for Mental Health and Assistant Director for Santa Barbara County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services. He is known for developing Santa Barbara County’s nationally recognized multi-agency Integrated Children’s System of Care, advancing California’s large scale dissemination of evidence-based practices, leading child welfare and juvenile justice reforms, and establishing early childhood mental health programs in partnership with Head Start agencies.

Dr. Sosna earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Washington State University in 1991, and is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Support for Children Exposed to Gun Violence

Written by

With orange balloons flanking the stage at our Watts campus, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, Children’s Institute and the Los Angeles Police Department announced the REACH TEAM, a new program to support children exposed to gun violence in the Watts community.

In 2017, there were approximately 110 calls made to LAPD in Watts reporting shots fired, with over 40% of the calls coming from local housing developments.

When gun violence occurs in a community, children are often witnesses to the event and its aftermath. The impact of gun violence exposure is associated with learning, health, emotional and behavioral issues, as well as substance abuse later in life. Early intervention and emotional and social support are key in preventing and healing the symptoms of trauma.

Setting the tone for the announcement, actor/poet/activist and Watts native Kyland Turner performed one of his original pieces of poetry.

Following his performance, Turner commented, “I’m 23 and I’ve lost more friends than I can count on both of my hands to violence and I don’t think that’s normal. I don’t think it’s normal to experience this thing of literally living in a war zone, and I had to find a way out. For me it was poetry, it was art, it was spoken word, it was writing.”

L to R: Kyland Turner, Actor/Poet/Activist; Yvette Martinez, Children’s Institute Administrative Assistant; Dennis Kato, Deputy Chief Operations-South Bureau, LAPD 

“Children deserve safe and secure childhoods, and when violence erupts into their lives, we have to step in and act, and that’s just what we are going to do,” said Feuer. “I have put Deputy City Attorney Lara Drino, who has years of experience working with abused children, in charge of our efforts to work with our partners to intervene quickly and effectively to reduce the long-term trauma children exposed to violence suffer.”

The REACH TEAM aims to ensure children and families exposed to gun violence receive appropriate and timely crisis intervention and support services through Children’s Institute and partner organizations.

“Children’s Institute is so pleased to be partnering with the City Attorney’s office and LAPD on this important initiative that is a natural extension of our work offering trauma-informed services and support to children and families in the Watts community and throughout Los Angeles. In addition to providing early intervention and follow up care through our REACH TEAM, we also hope to increase community awareness around the possible long-term effects of gun violence exposure and encourage outreach for support,” said Martine Singer, President & CEO, Children’s Institute.

“Shots fired in our community tear at the very fabric of our emotional security, especially for our children,” said Michel Moore, LAPD Chief of Police. “There is no excuse for a child in our city to be exposed to gun violence, and the Los Angeles Police Department will work diligently to ensure our most vulnerable residents are safe and supported.”

When a gunshot is reported in the Watts community, LAPD will assess the scene and notify the REACH TEAM, comprised of Children’s Institute staff, who will provide an initial crisis response to the families involved as soon as possible. From there, children identified for follow-up support will be referred to Children’s Institute to receive trauma-informed health services, as well as other family services and support.

Children’s Institute staff member Yvette Martinez closed the event with her personal account of growing up in South Los Angeles in the midst of gun violence. “Once you are connected to the effects of one bullet whether by sight, sound or because you knew the individual’s family, you are never the same. The support of my family has always kept me going. But once again I ask, ‘should we have to cope without professional help?'”

As a part of the program, the LA City Attorney’s office and Children’s Institute will regularly conduct community outreach within Watts schools, housing developments, community organizations and nonprofits. Children and families in Watts who have been exposed to gun violence in the past can also reach out for support.

This initiative has received guidance and support from the Watts Gang Task Force and The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.

Back to School Week

Written by

It is Back to School Week at CII, and it is great to see the early childhood services programs moving ahead at ‘full speed’.

As you know, the CII ECS division offers parents a number of early childhood program options. They include part day/part year center based services, full day/full year center based services, full year home based services (children up to 3 years of age), and full day/full year services in family child care homes under contract to CII. Our overall goal is to ensure that all children in our care and their parents, regardless of program option, are ready for a successful school experience by the time the children enter kindergarten.

So what are we looking like this year? ECS projects will serve nearly 2,500 children up to 5 years of age in the current year. Approximately 500 of these children are in our home based program, including First 5LA funded Select Home Visitation in SPA’s 6 and 8, almost 200 are receiving services in contracted family child care homes, and the rest are placed in one of CII’s 30 early education centers. We are excited this year to have added two new preschool buildings:  Our Compton Blvd. facility will serve 30 children: 6 infants and 24 toddler age children; our Western Avenue facility will serve 8 toddlers and 20 Head Start age children. Both centers recently began operations.

Summer months are important to ECS program operations, and this year was no exception. A number of key events took place:  recruitment and enrollment of new children and families, hiring of new staff – over 40 new staff were hired in the last four months, restocking classroom supplies, refurbishing playgrounds and classrooms, and finally, comprehensive training for classroom and non-classroom staff. Thank you all for your contributions to all of these efforts. They are not only very much appreciated, they are essential to our success.

This year ECS, in line with “One CII” strategic initiative, is already working on two key program efforts that will involve collaboration with CII’s Early Childhood Behavioral Health Services and Project Fatherhood.  Our goal for the current program year is to assess, refer and serve 100 children/families through our mental health services and to initiate a series of program activities with Project Fatherhood staff that will engage fathers currently enrolled in ECS.  We look forward to two very successful collaborations that will benefit the children and families that we serve.

Stay tuned! We are always working on something!!

– Manny Castellanos, Jr., Ed.D., LCSW, Senior Vice President Programs

Doctor’s Notes: At this Preschool for Traumatized Kids, Emotional Care Comes First, Then Academics

Written by

This article was originally published on California Health Report on 7/10/2018.

Reggie, now 5, was exposed to methamphetamines in utero and, after he was born, his biological mother wasn’t able to care for him. When he was 4-weeks-old, I was his doctor in the foster-care clinic at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He was adopted by one of my pediatric colleagues, Amy Huang, and her husband, Daniel. Because Reggie is a minor, his and his parents’ names have been changed.

“He was the best baby, no withdrawals, no terrible twos,” Amy Huang said. “We thought he had escaped the meth-effects.”

But, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

In January, when Reggie returned to preschool after winter vacation, he started having extreme behaviors. He became defiant and aggressive. He was biting, hitting strangers and at times getting on all fours and acting like an animal. His parents were frustrated and worried that the problems were related to his drug exposure.

The effects of methamphetamines on infants in the womb run a wide spectrum, from mild learning problems to significant impairment of brain function. These infants may be born premature, have low birth weight or suffer withdrawals causing jitteriness, irritability and poor feeding. In addition, meth-addicted mothers often have poor health and may use other substances such as marijuana, tobacco, alcohol and cocaine. All of these can have negative effects on the infant’s development, as well as the mother’s ability to parent.

ChrisAnna Mink is a pediatrician who practices in South Los Angeles.

Researchers have shown that children who were meth-exposed in utero have difficulties with their brain’s executive function, which is the central command for organizing thoughts, planning and learning. These children also have an increased risk of disruptive behaviors and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses, when compared to non-exposed peers. Some of these problems don’t become obvious until the cognitive and behavioral demands of a classroom.

By spring, Reggie’s behavior was spiraling out of control and his preschool teachers couldn’t cope with him. The Huangs took him out of that school but didn’t know where to turn.

I recommended Children’s Institute Inc, as did some other friends with an adopted child who had also been exposed to drugs. I was familiar with the Institute’s therapeutic preschool called Day Treatment Intensive, DTI. Over the past 12 years, I have referred many children with behavioral difficulties due to drug exposure, abuse, neglect and other psychological traumas.

DTI “looks like a regular preschool,” said Nicole Fauscette, a licensed family therapist and supervisor of the program, but it offers real-time, individual therapy. First, DTI focuses on mental health, in a supportive and developmentally appropriate preschool setting. The school adds in academics as the children are ready.

The Children’s Institute building on Harbor-UCLA’s campus is surrounded by playgrounds. The inside is decorated in lively colors, and it’s neatly cluttered with toys and children. It looks like Crayola designed a home inviting visitors to come play.

Children ages 2½ to 5 are eligible. Many have been expelled from regular preschool. DTI has space for 12 children and classrooms have, on average, one staff member for every two kids. Referrals come from child protective services, pediatricians, Head Start, internal mental health programs and community mental health agencies.

DTI is one of less than a dozen such specialized programs in Los Angeles County, which is home to nearly 330,000 children younger than five. About 20 percent of those kids live in poverty and most have experienced adversity. The need far exceeds the slots available.

“Therapeutic preschool uses the neuro-sequential model,” said Jesus Parra, the regional director for clinical services for Children’s Institute. This approach provides a framework for helping a child, keeping in mind his or her trauma history, developmental stage and current ability to function.

“We help the kids get to a place where they can regulate their behaviors, increase their attention (and) their tolerance of frustration, and better navigate peer and adult relationships,” said Fauscette. The goal is to help the children achieve emotional stability, so they’ll be ready for a traditional learning environment.

The staff and volunteers at DTI are chosen in part because of their temperament and ability to regulate their own emotions. These qualities are as valued as their education, though most have backgrounds in child development, psychology or mental health.

“An adult in control of their emotions helps children who are not in control of theirs,” said Parra, who leads some of the staff trainings.

The program aims, Parra said, for “the parents to fall in love with their child again.”

Reggie started at DTI in early May. The teachers observed that when he behaves like a dinosaur or other animal, it is because he is feeling anxious and frightened. In this way, they reason, he is attempting to defend himself against the danger he perceives. So, instead of punishing him for disobeying, Reggie’s teachers approach him calmly and help him address his anxiety.

In the last few months, Reggie has made progress learning to use words—and not aggression—to express his emotions.

The Huangs have already noticed a change. The teachers “were able to describe to us how Reggie interprets his world,” Daniel Huang said. “It’s helping—him and me.”

Pediatrician ChrisAnna Mink writes the bimonthly Doctor’s Notes column on Cal Health Report’s children’s health.