Wyoming Valley Children’s Association expands programs by adding behavioral health and outpatient therapeutic services.
WVCA is proud to announce that we are expanding our services to help more local children in need. Currently, WVCA provides childcare, educational services, and speech, physical, and occupational therapy for children enrolled at our school in Forty Fort. With this expansion, we will be adding a new behavioral health services program and will start providing pediatric outpatient therapy to children in the wider community.
Throughout our history, WVCA has adapted and changed to expand our offerings in response to the evolving needs of children in the Wyoming Valley. For several years, WVCA has observed a rise in behavioral health conditions among the students we serve. Due to the long waitlist for pediatric behavioral health services, families often must wait months to receive care for their children. In addition, more families have been seeking therapeutic support, including speech, physical and/or occupational therapy. To address these critical needs, WVCA’s leadership has dedicated considerable time and resources into a program expansion project, including the purchase and renovation of a new building to be used solely for therapeutic services.
WVCA’s unique care model is crafted around a team approach where educators, therapists, and behavioral health staff work together to provide holistic and individualized care for students in need – all under one roof. With this expansion, children enrolled at WVCA for the upcoming school year will be able to access behavioral health services as part of their integrated care teams. The expanded pediatric outpatient therapy program will be open to all children in the community and is currently enrolling with a waiting list. First priority will be given to current WVCA students and WVCA alumni. The program will provide speech, physical and occupational therapy for children from birth to ten years old.
Nina DeiTos Zanon, WVCA’s Executive Director, commented,
“At WVCA, we always put the needs of our students front and center. For the past few years, we have seen a steady increase in students needing behavioral health services and/or additional therapeutic sessions. With long wait lists at local agencies and changing state funding priorities, many families have struggled to access the services they need for their children to thrive. True to our mission, WVCA saw a need and is crafting an innovative response to help local children reach their full potential. By launching our own in-house behavioral program and expanding into outpatient therapy, children in our community will have better access to high-quality behavioral health and therapeutic services. With this expansion, we will also be able to bill insurance for qualifying families – ensuring that no child is turned away from services they need, regardless of their family’s financial situation. The future is bright at WVCA, and we look forward to serving more children in our community through these new programs for many years to come.“
With this expansion, WVCA will be hiring additional team members in the coming months, including a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Behavioral Health Technicians, and additional Therapists. Please refer to our webpage at www.wvcakids.org/careers for current and future openings.
For more information about Wyoming Valley Children’s Association, or to inquire about these new programs, please email info@wvcakids.org or call 570-714-1246.