CCSEW brings needed therapy and counseling services on-site, at no charge into child care centers in Palm Beach County. Since 1999, this grassroots mental health effort has been at the forefront of ABC’s activities, dedicated to helping at-risk children and families.

This program provides play therapy and counseling for young children (18 months to 5 years of age). We also reach out to the adults who impact these children, providing consultation and training for teachers/caretakers in child care facilities, and workshops for parents and families.

Why CCSEW is important

Early intervention and prevention that focuses on attachment, resiliency and play helps an at-risk child to grow and develop ultimately into a functioning adult. Our approach is evidence-based -- it really works -- and can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

The window of opportunity

Early childhood is a critical time for brain development and learning skills. From birth to approximately 3 years of age, a child learns how to interact with the world. Any child, from any demographic, can and will be affected by family disruption (illness, death, absence) or other serious problems. Other factors can make the situation worse. For instance:

• • 21% of children under 5 years of age live in poverty
• • 60% of these children are in a childcare setting most of the day
• • Childcare centers are often staffed with underpaid, under-educated staff, lacking the tools and training to promote the child’s well-being.

Handling disruptive behavior the correct way

Dealing with disruptive, aggressive behavior is one of the biggest challenges in childcare centers. ABC provides workshops for childcare center staff as part of its CCSEW program. These workshops focus on skills that help the teacher react in a therapeutic manner.

Problem behaviors

Fighting, biting, disruptive outbursts, etc. are symptoms -- but not the root of the problem. Feelings drive challenging behavior, so ABC looks to what is happening in children’s lives that prompts this behavior. Children may not be able to verbally express their feelings or what they really are concerned about. ABC’s CCSEW program works with children using the language they understand: play therapy. We also work with teachers and parents to help them understand the child’s behavior and how to help the children understand their feelings and act in an appropriate way.

What ABC does to help

There are three parts to the CCSEW program:

• • On-site assessment and play therapy
• • Training child care center staff about a therapeutic way of being with children
• • Parenting skills/caregiver workshops

A community-based, grassroots mental health service

Currently ABC provides its early childhood mental health expertise in 4 - 6 childcare centers in Palm Beach County. This program is sustained entirely by donations and grants. With no government funding and a “shoestring budget,” a small group of clinicians (helped by trained volunteers and graduate student interns) have expanded CCSEW to affect the lives of thousands of children and caregivers in the community.

To ensure that we are responsive to the childcare centers, ABC has an Advisory Committee made up of the directors, teachers and parents of our Childcare centers. It meets three times a year with the committee to get feedback from the centers about what they need. The president of the committee attends the Board of Directors meetings of ABC.

Why isn’t the CCSEW program in every child care center?

Every child deserves a good start in life, without being labeled as “problem.” Access to qualified experts in early childhood psycho/social development could mean a world of difference for some children.

One obstacle is funding. It costs approximately $75,000 per childcare center to operate the program for a year.

ABC has fund raising efforts underway now to expand this program.
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