Sharing is Fundamental – This young lady is happy to share her snack.

Executive Director of the Center for Developmental Disabilities

Story and photos by Irene C. Prokop

MILFORD – Hearing that you are going to have a baby can be joyful news; learning the baby has developmental challenges, on the other hand, can be devastating. Young children with emotional and physical disabilities can wreak havoc on families, often tearing them apart permanently when every minute of the parent’s attention is focused on the needy child. For families in Pike County and the surrounding area, however, there is enormous hope and help through the Center for Developmental Disabilities (CDD) in Milford.

Ann Gillerlane, Executive Director of the Center, explains: “Parents come to us, often frantic, because they know something is not quite right with their child but the pediatrician has taken a ‘wait and see’ attitude. Or the Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MHMR) agency has sent them. Or they’ve heard about us and know we work with children who have developmental delays and disabilities.”

“Delays are one thing,” she continues. “Like if a child isn’t walking by 18 months, but starts to at 20 months, that’s a delay. A disability, on the other hand, is a condition like Cerebral Palsy. For that, the family is looking for life-long support for the child. Often MHMR stays connected to them from infancy through adulthood when they provide adult services for the child.”

CDD provides several kinds of services. For babies from birth to three years, there is Early Intervention. These services, which include occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and speech/language pathology (SLP) are conducted in the child’s home and are only available to Pike County residents. That means the therapists involved must travel to individual homes throughout the county. “We’re very fortunate to have a committed staff,” says Gillerlane. “These are therapists who are very invested in their communities and in giving back to their communities. They enjoy working with the kids and most of them have been with us for many years.”

Between the ages of three and five, providing services for the children becomes the financial responsibility of the Delaware Valley School District, and that means sending them to CDD, if needed.  “Our two-and-a-half-year olds come in one day a week to become acquainted with the staff, other children, and the classrooms. Then, when they turn three, the school is a familiar place to them. Our full-day program, which began in 2005, is held five days a week for 180 days. The autism program, however, never closes.” There is also a private rate available to families who live outside the school district.  For the preschool population, CDD also offers behavioral  services for children who can’t self-regulate their emotional outbursts as well as a regular, preschool academic program.

While the county has sponsored services for young children through CDD since 1991 (when there were only 4 or 5 children in the program), Ann Gillerlane came on board in 2003 and quickly became a key player in taking CDD to the next level. Today the two programs (Early Intervention and the Infant/Toddler Program) provide services for 170 children. Family Support Services are also provided which include home visits, visits to area daycare centers and support groups for parents/caregivers to facilitate the development of a positive parent-child relationship. These services are also designed to help the family access other community support groups.

“Our funding comes from federal and state sources as well as local donors,” Gillerlane explains. “We have an involved parent population, a very active Board of Directors and generous local donors; however, we currently have a high debt load because of the move to the new building.”

The new facility, part of the PennStar Bank structure on Routes 6/209, was purchased by CDD Last year when they outgrew their space at 221 Broad Street.  The modern, spacious building has numerous classrooms, a board room, therapy rooms, an administration area, an outdoor play area and a generous second-floor which will become a Pediatric Outpatient Clinic. Therapists can provide occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech/language pathology to patients not part of CDD. Gillerlane hopes to have the clinic open by this fall.

“Unfortunately, recent state budget cuts are not helping us financially,“ Gillerlane continues.  “Reducing staff would reduce the quality of care. The state mandates a ratio of one staff member for every ten children in a regular pre-school; here, we have one-to-three. Individualized services require individuals. We are not willing to compromise.”  That means kicking up the fundraising.

The annual campaign, which is the largest fundraiser of the year for CDD, will get an extra boost this year when a new staff-member comes on board to guide the event known as Chefs Do Dinner. (Watch for the announcement of the new staff member as well as Dinner particulars in coming issues of the Pike County Press and online at pikecountypress.com).

Chefs Do Dinner (also with the acronym CDD) has been held at the Best Western Inn in Matamoras and features area chefs who prepare and serve samples of their signature dishes, buffet style, enabling dinner attendees to sample as much, or as little, as they like from each chef’s station. Eagerly anticipated by the community, this event has entertainment, fabulous food, a cocktail hour, and the chance to support a local non-profit agency that provides services to the children of Pike County – those children who live next door, or nearby.

Raising money, supervising a new school building, substituting in the classroom, lobbying in Harrisburg, guiding the staff – seems like Ann Gillerlane has a full plate.

So, why do you do what you do, Ann?

“For social justice. I believe everyone deserves equal opportunity and access to those opportunities should be provided to everyone. We all have different talents. I believe those talents should be supported to give each individual the chance to be the best he can be. Kids – regardless of their delays or disabilities – are the easiest population to work with when it comes to that.”

Ann Gillerlane, Executive Director of the Center for Developmental Disabilities, in a rare moment at her desk.

Center of Hope - The school’s new building is part of the PennStar Bank complex on Route 6/209.

Room to Grow -The outdoor playground will be expanded in the future.

Academics, including computers, are a part of the pre-school program at CDD.

Bring in the Sun – Bright classrooms are a joy in the new school.

CDD Mission Statement:

The Center for Developmental Disabilities believes every child is capable of learning, growing and developing.  We believe each child and family is unique regarding its priorities, needs, culture, values and lifestyles.  We believe each family has the right to make choices regarding the supports and services they receive.  We believe services should be directed toward supporting children and families within their chosen communities.  We believe in a multi-disciplinary approach that bases program design on evaluative date resulting in the achievement of educational and therapeutic goals.  We believe in interagency collaboration to provide the most comprehensive services to children and their families.  We believe each child’s and family’s integrity is respected and maintained through the principles of positive supports.  CDD will not reject or eject any eligible child for services. CDD maintains strong alliances with other community based programs to maximize resources available to families in a comprehensive manner.

CDD maintains a strong commitment to provide a consistent, quality educational, behavioral and therapeutic program to Pike County’s children.  We remain creative, responsive and dedicated to our community’s requests and needs regarding children with developmental disabilities and delays. The provision of these services is in compliance with civil rights compliance regulations and laws.

For more information call 570-296-3992.