|
Finance issues endanger child
special-needs project
Organizers fear funding change will deter clients
by Darren Jacobs /
Special to The Detroit News / August
19, 2002
Lekotek, as the program is called, consists of supervised
family play sessions aimed at teaching life skills to children
with such conditions as cerebral palsy, autism and Down's
syndrome.
The program is operated by The Arc of Northwest Wayne County,
an agency which serves people with developmental disabilities
and their families. However, financing is uncertain because of
a change in how money is provided by the Detroit/Wayne County
Community Mental Health agency.
In the past, funds were provided in the form of a grant from
the agency. But that may soon change, forcing The Arc to get
funds from one of three managed care provider networks that
contract with the Detroit/Wayne County Community Mental Health
agency.
If that happens, there may be some problems, said Christine
Lerchen, associate director of The Arc.
"We would prefer that the agency would support us with a
grant, rather than having to go through a managed,
comprehensive provider network for each family that uses
Lekotek," said Lerchen. If The Arc must get dollars from
managed provider networks, she said, "each individual family
wanting to use Lekotek would have to call and get an
enrollment packet from a managed comprehensive provider
network, rather than just going straight to the Arc.
"My fear is that we will lose our families. It makes an extra
step."
In an effort to have as many families signed up as members
before a decision is made on their funding Oct. 1 by the
Detroit/Wayne County Community Mental Health agency, Lekotek
has cut the price of a one-year membership from $75 to $37.50.
"We're hoping to be able to demonstrate that there is a need
for Lekotek," said Sylvia Kloc, executive director of The Arc.
"We're desperate for families," said Patty Favazza, a Lekotek
play leader. "We're trying to get the word out."
Lekotek has grown rapidly over the past few years. Two years
ago, the program had only 15 families; today there are 53.
However, its funding has stayed stable.
"The budget hasn't increased for three years," Lerchen said.
"It makes it a little challenging, but we're willing to
operate within our existing budget to continue supporting
families."
The budget crunch has led to a freeze in buying an important
ingredient for play -- toys.
"We used to have a monthly budget so we could go out and buy
toys or order toys out of specialty catalogues," said Lana
Richardson, a Lekotek play leader and special projects
assistant. "As we get more families, there will be less toys
for them to choose from. Over time, toys break or families
move away and they don't return toys. Sometimes, we use
personal money to buy toys."
Toys are vital to the program because most of the time spent
in Lekotek is focused on playing.
"This isn't therapy," said Favazza. "It's not our first
priority to get the kids to walk or talk. That's a secondary
gain from the play sessions. Our goal is to allow kids to have
fun and let people interact enjoyably with each other. This is
trying to show, 'Look, your child is a child, let then have
fun.'"
At Lekotek, families with disabled children participate in
one-hour play sessions every month, with each session
supervised by a play leader. At the end of each session, the
child can choose up to six toys to take home until the next
session.
Play leaders, who are trained by certified Lekotek leaders,
take an active role in each session.
"We pull out the toys for the children that we feel are
appropriate and that will hold their (the child's) interest,"
said Richardson.
Audrey Stokesbary, 33, of Canton, and her son Jackson, 2, who
has Down's syndrome, have been members about a year.
Play leaders keep a record of toys that the child is
interested in. "It helps you figure out where they are
developmentally," Stokesbary said. "It's a great resource.
They have some big-ticket items, like ride toys and balance
beams."
Most of The Arc staff is intimately familiar with caring for a
disabled child -- four of the seven employees on staff have
children with disabilities.
"It really is helpful when you talk to the parents," said
Lerchen, whose daughter Liz, 22, was born with multiple birth
defects, including mental retardation. "Even though we're
professionals, we have some real-life experiences."
Lerchen first approached The Arc board about starting the
Lekotek in 1988 after researching play libraries for daughter.
"We try to put the disability aside and just have fun," said
Lerchen. "As a parent, when your kids are diagnosed, you focus
on what you can fix," Lerchen said. "You forget about the
child having fun."
When asked if Lekotek may not receive enough funding to
continue, Lerchen responded: "There's a chance. Everything is
at risk right now."
Donna Carlson, a former Lekotek play leader, hopes the play
library's problems work out. "I met Gracie through Lekotek,"
Carlson said of her adopted daughter, now 3, who is hearing
impaired. "I want to make sure that it doesn't go away."
Darren Jacobs is a free-lance writer for The Detroit News. |
