According to The Warren Center CEO Amy Spawn,
At The Warren Center, our mission is to advocate, serve and empower children and families impacted by developmental delays and disabilities. Parents and caregivers of young children with developmental delays and disabilities may be concerned about their child’s progress during this interruption caused by COVID-19. However, we quickly pivoted our offerings to give clients HIPAA compliant virtual therapy sessions. Virtual appointments ensure children do not miss therapy sessions, their progress is not hindered, and parents still receive the help and support they need.
With teletherapy, children can receive convenient, quality therapy services that they need from the comfort of their own homes. Virtual therapy sessions take place through a tablet, computer or smartphone. Many of the young children that we serve have chronic health conditions – and as a precaution, their parents and caregivers have decided to quarantine their families. For some families, without internet access or a computer, these children were no longer able to receive the critical therapy services they greatly need. Thanks to the generous support of donors and supporters, we were able to provide families with tablets and internet access to continue teletherapy services online.
The Warren Center provides therapy and support for over 3,000 families every year. Each day, the need for services continues to grow. The CDC estimates one in six children have intellectual or physical disabilities or delays. In Dallas County alone, over 102,000 children have a developmental disability. The period between birth to five years is a time of rapid development. The earliest possible intervention is critical due to the accelerated brain development during these first years of life. Early childhood intervention programs have been shown to yield benefits in academic achievement, behavior, educational progression and attainment, and labor market success. Before the pandemic, our staff traveled to 48 zip codes and more than 900 homes each week to serve children in need. Our offices also served more than 200 children on-site for clinic-based services. Providing physical therapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and social support is essential to help children with disabilities reach their full potential.
By joining our North Star Community, supporters will change the trajectory of a child’s life forever. A monthly gift as little as $5 per month can help provide basic therapy essentials like books, crayons and bubbles. North Stars will see the impact of their support with email updates of their sponsored child’s progress. To sign up and for more information about The Warren Center’s North Stars, visit https://thewarrencenter.org/northstars/
* Graphic and photo provided by The Warren Center