Early Childhood Development and Education Center.
By Jessica Gregg
Teachers and doctors agree that the first five years of a child’s life are some of the most formative for growth and development. It’s a pivotal time for all children, and a critical one for children with atypical development or complex medical needs. Yet with the right supports in place, all children can thrive.
At Kennedy Krieger’s Early Childhood Development and Education Center, families find the supports their children need—children like Matheson, a dynamic, Peppa Pig-loving 4-year-old with a big vocabulary, a love for the color yellow and an appreciation for first responders, like his parents.
As a baby, Matheson was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis and celiac disease, two conditions that make eating difficult and choking a potential hazard. These unique medical needs brought his parents to the center’s day care program. There, with full-time nurses and caring teachers, Matheson has thrived in the classroom, says his mother, Stephanie.
“There is no stopping him and the success he’s had,” she says. “The care and the attention of the staff here have allowed him to be so successful.”
Each child gets what they need to accelerate their individual growth.” – Marcella Franczkowski
Formerly known as PACT: Helping Children with Special Needs and renamed this past spring, the center is one of just a few in the state that provide child care to children with complex medical needs. It also offers a comprehensive preschool program for children with atypical development who learn alongside their typically developing peers and an Early Head Start program.
Including typically developing children in the center’s programming is all part of the center’s new name and mission.
“We are an inclusive center where children with and without learning and developmental differences play and learn side by side,” says Assistant Vice President Marcella Franczkowski, the center’s executive director. “Each child gets what they need to accelerate their individual growth and development pathway.”
Located in Baltimore County, the preschool serves as a demonstration site for child care centers across the country, allowing the knowledge and expertise of this trained staff to reach beyond its walls.
Other services provided to the center’s students include speech, physical, occupational, music and pet therapies, and behavioral psychology, social work and family advocacy services. Students also benefit from the center’s partnership with Special Olympics Maryland, as physical activity positively impacts children’s growth and development.
Every day, Franczkowski says, “These engagements with families, staff members and the greater community are making a difference to our children.”