The Florida Center for Early Childhood, a local nonprofit serving children and their families in Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee and DeSoto/Hardee counties, received a $5,000 grant from the Harold C. and Jacqueline F. Bladel Foundation to help provide developmental therapies to children from birth to eight years of age.

The grant will be used to provide therapy sessions, as well as purchase equipment and materials that will help children with sensory integration challenges. The multidisciplinary team of licensed speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, and certified infant-toddler developmental specialist (ITDS), work together, and alongside mental health and educational colleagues to provide services to children with developmental delays, as well as established diagnoses that include Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity.

“At the Florida Center, staff use a variety of equipment and materials to assist children with sensory integration challenges,” said Kim Williams, Director of Developmental Therapies at The Florida Center.  “Swinging, jumping, crashing, spinning and rocking are important to children, not only for fun and exercise, but also to help their bodies organize and regulate their sensory systems.”

The Florida Center for Early Childhood provides prevention and early intervention services to young children and their families at risk for academic, social, and economic failure. Because of this, young children achieve developmentally appropriate milestones and parents have the support and knowledge to nurture their child’s development; thus decreasing risk factors related to child abuse and neglect, academic and developmental delay, and behavioral and mental health disorders that create added costs to society.

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For over 35 years, The Florida Center for Early Childhood has been serving our community’s children and families. The Florida Center provides a seamless delivery of services for the whole child and his or her family. Today, The Florida Center for Early Childhood is a nationally accredited, community-based agency that provides early childhood education, developmental therapies, mental health therapy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders diagnostic and intervention services, training, and home-based child abuse prevention services.  contact Kaitlyn Kramer at 941-371-8820 x 1025.