Children at Monroe County United Ministries’ early learning centers will have a new resource available to them this coming school year: a therapist.
The goal of the new full-time position is to meet the growing mental health needs of young children.
“Too often, that socio-emotional component is overlooked when we talk about school readiness,” said Erin Predmore, MCUM’s executive director.
The organization currently serves 180 children at its two early learning centers, where low-income families receive first priority for enrollment and fees are based on a sliding scale.
Predmore said she has noticed an increase in frequency and intensity of children exhibiting problem behaviors that are often indicative of traumas at home: being disrespectful to teachers, cursing, an inability to sit with or deal with a group of peers and not understanding when someone is saying “no” for their own safety, as well as continually hitting friends.
“Instead of one to two kids, we’re now seeing 10 to 12 kids,” Predmore said.
To help these children, and their families, Monroe County United Ministries received a grant to fund an early childhood therapist, with the plan of hiring someone before the school year begins in August. Bloomington Health Foundation awarded a $181,500 grant that the organization can pay over the next three years.