The Crittenton Children’s Center Friday announced it was receiving a major grant to help preschool-aged children cope with trauma.
In front of a crowd of around 200 health professionals at the Kaufmann Foundation, Crittenton CEO Janine Hron said that the Center will be able to expand its Head Start – Trauma Smart program thanks to a $2.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Crittenton spokesman Paula Neese said the program was created to help three-to-five-year-old children who’ve suffered from trauma like community violence, the arrest of a parent, homelessness and separation from parents.
“We know that very young children’s brains are developing radically – quickly, and traumatic experience can actually interrupt that,” she said.
Left untreated, these kinds of trauma can leave children with emotional disturbances, social development delay and learning problems. The grant will allow Head Start – Trauma Smart to expand to triple its program in Missouri and benefit more than 3,200 preschool students.
