who can refer a child to early...

978-475-3806 www.theprofessionalcenter.org

32 Osgood Street Andover, MA 01810

&

439 S. Union Street Building 1, Suite 110

Lawrence, MA 01843

978-688-5070

Summer 2017 Volume 21, Issue 2

Who can refer a child to Early Intervention?

The answer is… Anyone (a parent, doctor, caregiver, teacher or friend) can refer a child to a certified Early Intervention program. Families living in the “Catchment Area” of North Andover, Methuen, Lawrence or Andover please call The Professional Center for Child Development or make an electronic referral at www.TheProfessionalCenter.org.

To find the listing of other EI programs in Massachusetts by city or town visit Mass Family TIES at www.massfamilyties.org/ei/eicity.php.

June 7, 2017

Dear Friends and Families, I would like to thank everyone at The Professional Center for Child Development for

welcoming me as the new Executive Director. It was evident from my very first day at

PCCD that I would be spending my first few weeks preparing the program for this

summer’s renovation project. This project has been in the process for the past few

years, and I am excited to announce that it will start on June 21st!!!

As a quick recap, the renovations project will target the original building that was

acquired by PCCD in the early 90s; no construction work is planned for the Day School

side of the building at this time. Our construction plans call for us to overhaul all the

classrooms and administrative office spaces. We will be installing new cabinets,

flooring, ceiling tiles, sinks and windows throughout this space. This renovation will

revitalize our learning environments and assure that our physical space matches the

high quality of instruction that our incredible staff provide.

I understand that this announcement will raise some questions for you; I would like to

assure you that we have been hard at work developing a thoughtful and supportive plan

for summer operations. Our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible and

to ensure that each and every child in our care receives all the supports and attention

that they deserve. All summer programing in 2x2, 2x3, RCP, and the Day School will

continue as planned. However, the classroom locations will change during the summer.

Given the uniqueness of each program at the Andover site, I have asked our program

directors to follow up with families directly to discuss how the renovation project may

impact them. We appreciate your patience during this exciting time.

We will be updating our social media with progress, we encourage you to like our

Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. We look forward to seeing you

in September for our grand reopening of the center.

Sincerely,

Chris Hunt, Executive Director

http://www.theprofessionalcenter.org

http://massfamilyties.org/ei/eicity.php


Officers

Mr. Brian Latina, Chairman

Mr. Neal Beswick, Vice Chair

Mr. John DeCourcy, Treasurer

Mr. Mike Rzeszutek, Clerk

Members

Ms. Julie Palmaccio

Mr. Mark Pascarella

Dr. David Rainen

Ms. Linda Sweeney

Ms. Tara Wilson

Executive Director, Mr. Chris Hunt

Join us in saying THANK YOU

Welcome Executive Director, Chris Hunt

Mr. Christian Hunt, MPA Chris graduated from Wheaton College (Norton, MA) in 1999 with a degree in US History and Education and later went on to graduate with honors from Suffolk University’s Master of Public Administration program (2010). After graduate school he received a certificate in NonProfit Management and Leadership from Boston University (2013), was a UCLA/Johnson and Johnson Head Start Fellow (2014) and 2015 Public Matters graduate.

His background includes work in special education as a Teacher and Administrator, having started his career at the May Institute working with adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injuries in Braintree, MA and later at Milestones in Waltham MA, working with children with Autism. In 2006 he began working at Massachusetts Association of C766 Approved Private Schools (maaps). While there he created, developed and managed several professional development initiatives for the private special education schools across the state, which included the creation of a Certificate Program for emerging leaders of the private special education programs, a leadership pre-conference and multiple Professional

Development Groups (PDG).

After graduating from Suffolk University’s in 2010, Chris took a position at Community Teamwork in Lowell, MA as the Early Learning Director overseeing the Early Head Start, Head Start and Center Based Child Care programs. In 2015 he was promoted to manage the Division of Child, Family and Adolescent Services. As Division Director he was responsible for all Child Care programs (Infant, Toddler, Preschool and School Age), 2 Family Child Care Systems that operated in Greater Lowell and the towns of Malden, Medford and Everett, as well as the YouthBuild and Youth Homeless Initiative for the agency. The division as a whole provides opportunities for over 1,300 low-Income children and adolescents.

Chris lives in Amesbury, MA with his wife Laura and 2 children, Lydia (8) and Eva (5) and is an active member of the Ballardvale United Church in Andover, MA.

Chris Hunt , PCCD Executive Director

PCCD’s Two-by-Two playgroups, the right choice for your child’s first

educational experience

Please contact: Aimee at ext. 341 [email protected]

~ Call to schedule a visit & tour ~


Every day teachers

work hard to accept

the children for who

they are. I often

say everyone in our

school is working

on strengthening skills. I truly feel that when a

child is struggling with something, it is because

something is getting in their way and it is our job

to help them develop the skills they need to move

forward. Sometimes the skill may be communica-

tion, impulse control, flexibility, learning to wait

their turn, or dozens of other skills. It is our job as

a community of learners to recognize that it’s just

a skill that needs development and the child

needs our encouragement and support. We want

all the children to feel safe and accepted for who

they are and we want to work together to create

an environment where we are all happy to be at

school.

By: Sherrie Espy,

Lead Teacher 2x3 Preschool

“One of the most important gifts a parent can give a child is the gift of accepting

that child’s uniqueness.” —Mister Rogers

How to Raise a Reader

In 2017 Newsletter issues, PCCD staff will share tips they have used to help children and families (or their own children) enjoy books

“For us, one of the keys was to start early, and to make it part of the everyday routine. Even when my kids were just newborns, we read to them multiple times a day, and made it part of our nighttime routine. It was a great way to bond with them and have special time. As my kids have gotten older, they have been able to pick the book and recite their favor-ite parts. Now that they are 5 and 3, reading before bed has become an activity they look forward to! ~ Lindsey Mayo, PCCD Director of Development “One of the ways I have encouraged reading with my nieces and nephews is exposure. I always had books around the house, in the car and on the porch. There were always books at their fingertips, easily accessible. There were certainly toys, but books are just as important. Also, exposing them to topics in which they were interested but also introducing them to new topics. Some children think of reading as “work” but if they are reading on topics they enjoy, then it will be more enjoyable for them.

~ Bridget Braverman PCCD Developmental Day School

“From the time my three children were starting to read, we would go up to bed a half hour early to read. To make it a little more fun I would read one page and they would read the next. The person that read the last page would be the one that got to pick the book the following night.

In the summer months we would often have a picnic in the backyard poolside. My kids would bring a favorite book to read after they ate their lunch. Little did they know that it was not only a strategy to get them to read, it was also to have them wait before they jumped back in to swim. This was always a great way to continue summer reading.

Now my children are grown up. I have one grandchild. When he was little, my daughter (his mom) and I would always surround him with books. Every night he looked forward to his favorite stories. He began to read by correlating pictures with sight words. Before we knew it, he was asking if he could read us bedtime stories!" ~ Sheilah Mulcahy-Carrozza, PCCD Two-by-Two

An Active Community of Learners

Staff Spotlight


Name:

Emily Knapp

Education: Gordon College, BA in Spanish, English & Secondary Education

Position: Office Manager

Years at PCCD: 23 years (Emily says... Yikes!)

Thoughts about working at the PCCD: “LOVE working at the Professional Center for Child Development. Meeting so many wonderful staff, families and colleagues has allowed me to grow enormously as a person. The work we do here at PCCD is just magical.

My Baby Won’t Stop Crying!!! Tips to comfort a crying baby

Burp the baby Sing to your baby Swaddle in a blanket Gently rock or walk with the baby Keep things calm, relaxed and quiet Try to plan for regular sleeping and eating times Rhythmic motions such as gentle pats on the back Distract the baby (peekaboo, present different toys) “White noise” dishwasher, washing machine, vacuum, fan or other rhythmic appliance (never put your child on top of the appliance)

* All babies cry, but if your baby cries for a long time each day and can not be consoled — contact your pediatrician.

*Take care of yourself. Take a break from the crying—put your child in a safe spot with another adult and remove yourself from the sound of crying.

Never Shake A Baby. From Mass DPH Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Initiative

Name: Natalie Howard, MS, CCC-SLP

Education: B.S. - University of MA Amherst, M.S.—Emerson College, Boston

Position: Speech-Language Pathologist in Early Intervention Program

Years at the PCCD: 3.5 years

Thoughts about working at the PCCD: “I feel very fortunate to be in a profession where I enjoy coming to work every day. I love working with all the children, their families and their caregivers. I am grateful to have the opportunity to collab-orate with so many smart and caring professionals at the PCCD. I love that the question that seems to be the driving force behind the PCCD is “What is best for the child/family?” Because of this, I al-ways feel supported to do what’s best for our families and this makes it a joy to come to work!”


Thank you to all of the parents, families, and businesses for volunteering, donating, and underwriting our Swing into Spring Gala Brunch!

The Board of Directors would also like to thank the members of our Gala Planning Committee. Event Chairs Sasha Bowden and Lindsay Corcoran—committee members; Christina Berthelsen, Neal Beswick, Kim But-ler Rainen Gia Cryier, Jewel Martin, Lindsey Mayo, Miles Miller, Melanie Morais, Julie Pal-maccio, Linda Sweeney, Ellen Waddill and Tara Wilson. Thanks go out to volunteers, participating staff, donors and sponsors. Special thanks to Ernie and Tara Baldwin.

PCCD Community Service Award Lenard and Delphine Zohn

Founders of Autism Eats

Delphine and Lenard Zohn are co-founders of Autism Eats, a national organization that provides autism friendly nonjudgmental environments for family dining, socializing and connecting with others who share similar joys and challenges. Delphine and Lenard are residents of Andover and the parents of two exceptional children. Ava is an 8th grade student at West Middle School and Adin, who is a graduate of The PCCD 2x2 program, is a 6th grade student at Nashoba Learning Group in Bedford, MA. Delphine is an ac-complished artist and Lenard is a sales and business development executive in technol-ogy, logistics and healthcare fields.

PCCD “Children First” Award George Navin

Co-Founder and Director of Pass It On, Inc.

George Navin is Co-Founder and Director of Pass It On, Inc. (an organization that collects and passes on medical & therapeutic equipment).

George and his wife Laurie, welcomed their daughter, Lindsey in 1985. Lindsey suffered trauma at birth resulting in spastic quadriple-gia, visual impairment, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. The family is very happy to have recently celebrated her 32nd birthday. George created Pass It On in 1992 to assist families who fall through the cracks in the healthcare system. Pass it On is proudly celebrating its 25th year! Lindsey was, is, and will always be the inspiration behind Pass It On.

Kendra Petrone Master of Ceremonies

Kendra Petrone is a member of the Morning MAGIC 106.7FM team, as the Producer and Social Media Content Creator. A native of Methuen, MA and UMASS Amherst grad, Kendra is no stranger to the radio scene, as she has been a part of Boston’s top morning TV and radio shows since 2005. Prior to working at MAGIC, Kendra was the Exec. Producer for KISS 108’s “Matty in the Morning Show”. In 2016, Kendra created KeepingUpWithKendra.com to allow readers to follow her life as a working Mom and Media Personality. Kendra lives on the North Shore with her husband & three children.

Swing into Spring Event… Thank you to all

Planning is underway for the 25th Annual

Trot for Special Tots Our Fall 5K Road Race

If you would like to help, please contact Lindsey

[email protected]

Family Rights in Early Intervention Services

In your intake packet, each family received a brochure on family rights in EI. If you would like another copy, please ask your service coordinator. If more information is needed, The Department of Public Health has written standards for the operation of Early Intervention Programs and written procedures that protect your rights. You may get a copy of these at The PCCD or by going on the DPH web site. Early Intervention services in Massachusetts are provided in compliance with federal regulations.

Family TIES of Massachusetts

(TIES—Together In Enhancing Support) A statewide information and support network for fami-

lies of children with disabilities, special health care needs, or chronic illness.

MassFamilyTies.org 1-800-905-TIES

You can make The Professional Center for Child Development even better… ~ Join the Friends of The Center ~

~ Volunteer for an event ~

`~

This newsletter is designed to share information with families

colleagues, the community, and contributors. The newsletter is

coordinated by Ellen Waddill (the PCCD Parent Liaison) and is edited

by Ellen, Emily Knapp, those who write articles & other PCCD staff.

To contribute articles, stories, poetry, etc., please call

Ellen at ext. 217 or [email protected]

Family Involvement in Early Intervention

Parent Leadership Project 1-877-35-EI-PLP

The Project’s main goal is to promote lifetime advocacy and leadership skills, and work to develop an informed parent constituency which will, in turn, encourage Early Intervention services to be increasingly family centered. As a parent initiated and parent driven endeavor, the PLP continually seeks family input regarding the needs of EI families in our state. Identifying these needs helps determine future direction for the project as well as the EI system as a whole.

The Parent Perspective is a free newsletter written by and for parents distributed 8 times a year. Parents are invited to submit articles. The Professional Center frequently submits articles and information to this publication. contact the PLP to receive the newsletter.

Become more involved…

Join a statewide committee or task group with The Massachusetts Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC).

“Friends of The Center” Thank you for your gift

Enclosed is my tax deductible gift to help The PCCD provide services and support for families and children as has been done for over 4 decades. With your help, PCCD will expand services,

develop new programs, and make facility improvements.

$50 _____ $100 _____ $250 _____ $500 _____ $1000 _____ A thank you gift in honor of a child in my life _____

Name and address of contributor (please print) Email: _________________________________

Name: _________________________ Address: ______________________________________

Address: ________________________________________ City, State, Zip: __________________________

( ) My gift will be match by my employer ______________________________________

My gift is in memory of: _______________________________ (Please cut and send in)

Family Rights in Early Intervention Services

In your intake packet, each family received a brochure on family rights in EI. If you would like another copy, please ask your service coordinator. If more information is needed, The Department of Public Health has written standards for the operation of Early Intervention Programs and written procedures that protect your rights. You may get a copy of these at The PCCD or by going on the DPH web site. Early Intervention services in Massachusetts are provided in compliance with federal regulations.

Family Involvement in

Early Intervention

Parent Leadership Project 1-877-35-EI-PLP

The Project’s main goal is to promote lifetime advo-cacy and leadership skills, and work to develop an informed parent constituency which will, in turn, encourage Early Intervention services to be increasingly family centered. As a parent initiated and parent driven endeavor, the PLP continually seeks family input regarding the needs of EI families in our state. Identifying these needs helps determine future direction for the project as well as the EI system as a whole.

The Parent Perspective is a free newsletter written by and for parents distributed 3-4 times a year. Parents are invited to submit articles. The Professional Center frequently submits articles & information to this publication. Go to EIPLP.org

to receive the newsletter online and much more. Please join the EIPLP on facebook.

Become involved…

Join a statewide commit-tee or task group with The (ICC) Interagency Coordinating Council.

This newsletter is designed to share information with families

colleagues, the community, and contributors. The newsletter is

coordinated by Ellen Waddill (the PCCD Parent Liaison) and is edited

by Ellen, Emily Knapp, those who write articles & other PCCD staff.

To contribute articles, stories, poetry, etc., please call

Ellen at Ext. 217 or [email protected]

Family TIES of Massachusetts

(TIES—Together In Enhancing Support) A statewide information and support network for

families of children with disabilities, special health care needs, or chronic illness.

MassFamilyTies.org 1-800-905-TIES

You can make The Professional Center for Child Development even better… ~ Join the Friends of The Center ~

~ Volunteer for an event ~


PCCD


“The Support We Didn’t Know We Needed” Early Intervention – The Fitzpatrick Family

My son, JJ, was at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for the first two months of his life until he was admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital for open heart surgery. He stayed in Children’s Hospital for another 2.5 weeks after surgery. It was when we finally got him home that we were introduced to Early Intervention.

My first initial thoughts were that we didn’t really need Early Intervention as I was just focusing on keeping my son healthy and constantly monitoring his breathing (had a handful of blue spells in NICU as well as being on oxygen) and eating (at that point he was 100% feeding tube).

Before JJ was born, we had a meeting with Genetics that basically prepped us saying that our son had basically a 99.9% chance of having Down Syndrome. However, before I could even digest what that really meant, we were rushed into meeting cardiac doctors and surgeons discussing scary heart surgery procedures.

Once my son’s heart surgery was successfully completed; that was really the first time that I considered what kind of services JJ would need. First off was working on his low muscle tone which OT and PT helped us with and gave us very helpful tips that we could implement at home. OT also helped us with feeding therapies as he had significant difficulties with feeding starting with aspiration and then unsophisticated swallow along with aversion to feeding. In the last six months or so, we have also added in a developmental specialist who has helped JJ with communicating by using signs, practicing on consonant sounds and using pictures to communicate what he wants (helping to avoid behavioral issues and being frustrated). A music therapist also helps with speech as we have discovered that music is his motivation.

Currently JJ is almost 2.5 years and is showing such amazing progress with the help of Early Intervention. He is constantly showing people that his extra chromosome makes him extra special (nothing “Down” about this boy!). He is so close to walking (standing unassisted longer and longer as well as taking a couple unassisted steps), working to develop tolerance to dissolvable food (kissing, licking and biting crackers/veggie straws and biting on savory foods in a mesh feeder), working to be on the feeding tube less, and signing/talking up a storm (trying to keep up with his big sister).

Thank you so much Professional Center for Child Development, Early Intervention Program for providing the support that we didn’t know we needed!

Jack’s Pack (Jim, Mindy, Keira and JJ) - Methuen, MA

LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PCCD DEVELOPMENTAL DAY SCHOOL

Children ages 3 through 10 who have complex educational & health care needs—Call Today!

Our Developmental Day School offers educational, medical, therapeutic and social services to families whose

children have developmental delays, complex health care needs, physical disabilities and/or communication concerns

Please contact: Christy Murray, Ext 210 or [email protected]

Our Mission… Eliminate Barriers to Growth and Development for Children birth to age 10.

Our Mission is to provide educational and therapeutic services for children of all abilities and their families, working with each child to develop to his or her full potential. We strive to eliminate

barriers to growth and development for children with disabilities and families coping with health issues and challenges.

The Professional Center for Child Development places children on a path leading to achievement by providing support services so that children of all abilities may remain in a secure environment, teaching

parents and caregivers to be successful advocates for children, working to transition children into settings beyond our classrooms and educating public organizations on how to provide continued

community-based support for children with and without special needs.

The PCCD Early Intervention Program is expanding to meet the needs of children and families in our community and we are looking for an experienced pediatric OT to join our amazing staff. If you are interested in working with other caring and dedicated (and just plain nice!) people doing meaning-ful work, please contact, Kristin Kinsella, Human Resources Manager [email protected] or ext. 211

A Warm PCCD Welcome to Our New Staff! Rita Roche - Social Worker, Early Intervention Leya Barden - Developmental Specialist, Early Intervention Gabriela Hernandez - Intake Coordinator, Early Intervention Alicia MacInnis - Developmental Specialist, Early Intervention Melissa Valencia - Developmental Specialist, Early Intervention Alicia Brandon-Turner - Social Worker, Early Intervention (Last but not least!) - Chris Hunt, Executive Director

Life is short, work

somewhere awesome

Beep! Beep!

UMass Lowell electrical and computer engineering students have done it again. Using the skills learned in the classroom the creative and brilliant students were tasked to create a useful product with real life application. The PCCD’s Develop-mental Day School was fortunate again this year to be a part of it all, and the results are fantastic.

The PCCD/UMass Lowell partnership involves seniors who must complete a final project as part of the Capstone Program. The graduating scholars created 2 projects in 2017, one of them is a sharp little red “ride in” convertible that by using a switch to activate, a child with very little motor ability can take it for a spin. Driving the car helps children with cause & effect problem solving, strengthening core muscles and to have some wonderful positive play experiences. Modifications to the Developmental Day School’s new ride also included seating to maximize head and trunk support (the children are escorted by staff when using the battery-operated car).

The successful completion of this Capstone project is a graduation requirement for the engineering students. But more than that, the UMass students undoubtedly delighted in the joy the car and the second project (a robotic arm) gave to our students and staff.

Five year old Eva Beausoleil stands with Jennifer Hawkes, SLP

checking out the car & getting ready to hop in!

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