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7.18.08 | Second Annual Child Development Center Summer Program: Ensuring a successful program lives on despite budget cuts.
In the summer of 2007, the Child Development Center (CDC) located in Missoula, held its inaugural Summer Program offering a camp experience for children and youth with developmental disabilities or delays, ages 8 and up. CDC is an early intervention organization that provides services to families whose children have a diagnosed developmental disability or are considered to be "at risk" for delays in development.
Over six weeks, Summer Program campers were able to take part in a variety of activities from gardening to baking cookies to creating arts and crafts. Each week a larger community event was planned. Kids were able to watch a Missoula Osprey game, spend the day at Seeley Lake, and attend their very own camp dance. For these children who would not otherwise be able to attend a camp, the CDC’s Summer Program provided a true summer experience.
The program was an incredible success where families too could share in the fun and make connections with one another. Kelly Johnson, CDC Respite Program Manager, proposed the idea for the camp in 2006 after attending a site visit to the organization’s Kalispell office. They had held a similar event with great outcomes and Johnson knew it was something that needed to happen in Missoula.
As a parent of a developmentally disabled child herself, Johnson also understood the impact this program would have on families as well as children. She spearheaded the planning and the fundraising to make the program a reality and approached the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. The grant awarded to CDC in 2007 by the Foundation helped make many of the Program’s larger community activities possible.
This year, CDC Missoula is putting on their second Summer Program, which began July 8th. Despite the success of its inaugural year, the program almost didn’t happen this summer. Because of funding cuts to the overall organization, the costs for implementation were too high.
"We are a private non-profit that contracts with the state. The Summer Program isn’t part of our contract so we were going to discontinue it totally," said Cris Volinkaty, CDC Executive Director. "But then the Washington Foundation came in." While this year’s program is scaled back in comparison to last year’s, the grant from the Foundation will help Summer Program participants attend several activities, including bowling, outdoor games and ever-popular water and swimming activities.
"Some kids have their own hab aid if they’re in the higher funded program, but now we have the ability to buy some habilitation hours for those children that don’t have an aid. If they don’t have an aid, they will be accompanied by a parent or family member," said Volinkaty. "You have to have consistent people working with these kids. Familiarity is especially important for children with autism. We felt to be safe we would need one-on-one attention for each kid. This is first time that some kids are able to participate."
A woman who had two adopted children with severe disabilities attended the program last summer. Volinkaty tells how the experience offered a break to the mother and an outlet for the children to interact with their community. Another little boy with autism who came last year loved the swimming activities so much that he didn’t want to get out of the water.
"I think that the community inclusion improves the quality of life. When these kids get to do these things, they are so happy. They get to do the types of things that kids enjoy naturally and these kids have never had that opportunity. The families that get to see this also benefit," said Volinkaty. "They get support from each other and build a network of families that lead to lasting relationships."
