The Childrens Home Of Pittsburgh

Child's way daycareat child's way, our center for medically fragile children, we continue offering preschool, daycare, and before- and after-school care for children, age birth to age 21. The first program of its kind in pennsylvania, we opened child's way in may 1998 and have since served more than 400 children and their families. Child's way is a dually licensed pediatric extended care center and 4 out of 4 keystone stars accredited program that is designed for working families as a supplement or alternative to in-home nursing.through child's way, we offer on-site services from speech and physical therapies to fixing and fitting adaptive equipment, including braces, wheelchairs, and more. Our inclusive program costs $42 per day, with scholarships and financial aid available to families in need.we provide high-quality early education opportunities for children who are unable to attend traditional daycares. Medically fragile children, who would otherwise be isolated at home, can play, learn, and socialize within an inclusive community. We encourage parents and caregivers to pursue educational and career opportunities, knowing that their child is well cared for.current activities across child's way include:- helping any child's way family that may be unable to afford the $42 per day fee- guaranteeing that no family receives a medical bill for services rendered to their child at child's way by covering any potential shortfalls in insurance reimbursement- decreasing hospitalizations and providing early detection of other medical or developmental issues- helping medically fragile children transition to inclusive school classrooms- improving programming that supports the growing population of older enrolled youth- providing an educational, fun, and social experience for each child, so that the children at child's way can play, learn, and grow regardless of their medical needs- securing funding that allows providers more intensive collaborative services at child's way- identifying partners that support our mission and have the funding to expand our servicesour child's way daycare received its 4 out of 4 keystone stars re-designation in 2024. Keystone stars (standards, training/professional development, assistance, resources, and supports) is a quality rating system that promotes quality improvement in early learning and development programs and school-age childcare. A keystone stars designation informs parents that their children are in a safe, respectful environment in which they are learning new things every day to support their current and future successes in school and life.

Counseling & family support services for more than 130 years, the children's home has been respected in the community and across the country for the quality of work in adoption. More than 7,000 infants and children have been placed with families through the children's home. The adoption program provides a comprehensive range of services in support of adoptive families, birth families, and adopted children and adults. The success is based on a belief that adoption is not a one-time event, but a lifelong journey. The program offers a lifetime of support services through a staff of experienced professional counselors. The services and programs provided by the children's home include infant placement services, which consist of birthparent counseling services, adoptive family services and transitional infant care; post adoption services; private adoption services; infertility counseling; research and reunion; community education; adoption from foster care services; and services provided for pennsylvania's statewide adoption and permanency network (swan.)the children's home is also a leader in the field of open adoption. We began conducting open adoptions over 28 years ago and have learned much from the clients we've served and from specialized staff training. Open adoption can be a rewarding, positive experience for all involved - birth families, adoptive families and child - with the right support.the infant adoption program services include the following:- birthparent counseling services - professional counseling services provide birthparents with nonjudgmental support and guidance. If the birthparents choose adoption, the counselors assist in creating an adoption plan for the baby. Counseling and group support is provided during and after the pregnancy.- adoptive family services - adoptive parents are offered support, counseling and education. A thorough orientation is conducted followed by an application process and the completion of a family study as required by pennsylvania law. A family is then supported through their wait time, placement and finalization.- transitional infant care - short-term foster care is available for babies of birthparents who need time to decide about adoption. Transitional infant foster families are carefully selected, approved and specially trained by staff of the adoption program. They are supported during and after their time caring for an infant and help transition infants to their permanent adoptive homes.- post-adoption services - information, education, consultation and short-term counseling are provided for individuals, couples, and families dealing with adoption-related issues. A variety of adoptive family support groups are also offered.in addition to the infant placement services and post-adoption services, the children's home provides the following additional services:- private adoption counseling services - we offer individualized, short-term counseling services for birthparents in private adoptions, which are provided at the recommendation of an attorney, at the request of the birthparent or the prospective adoptive parents, and/or in fulfillment of a legal requirement by the state in which the adoption is to occur.- infertility counseling - infertility-related counseling is available for individuals and couples as they make decisions regarding the testing and treatment of infertility. We support them as they cope with related issues including sexuality, marital conflict, communicating with friends about infertility, and perhaps the possibility of adoption. Services range from single consultations to ongoing support. An infertility support group is also offered monthly.- research and reunion program - the research and reunion program provides research services and emotional support for adopted people wishing to learn more about their birthparents. Services range from basic birth history information to full searches of sealed court records (after court approval). The children's home helps birthparents who want to be available to the children they placed for adoption and facilitates reunions.- community education - community adoption educational events, often with continuing education units (ceu's), are sponsored by the children's home. These events are available to community organizations, agencies, and institutions to conduct seminars, training, and consultation concerning a wide range of issues surrounding adoption.- outreach and adoption education the adoption department provides education to social workers, medical staff and case managers at many hospitals in southwestern pennsylvania. The hospital staff find it beneficial to learn how to better serve their patients who are considering an adoption plan. Many do not have the time or expertise to counsel them appropriately through the stages of grief as they go through the process of letting go of their child. The staff is often relieved when they learn that the children's home will handle all of the legalities in adoption, and that the children's home offers the transitional infant care services and ongoing support to the birthparents. They appreciate knowing that when the children's home is involved, their patient will be treated with the utmost respect and dignity and that the adoption will be handled professionally by master's level counselors who are available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.- health and family education high schools and universities in the pittsburgh area occasionally contact the children's home to provide education to their health and family education classes or at health fairs. Students are interested to learn about the details of adoption as it is today, as many are touched by adoption in one way or another. It also gives them knowledge to pass on to friends who may experience an unplanned pregnancy at some time in the future. Guidance counselors and school nurses also benefit from adoption education because they can better assist students who may become pregnant. For many students who do not feel as if they can parent a child and do not wish to seek an abortion, adoption may be the only reasonable alternative for them. Once they understand adoption, they are better able to make an educated decision about what is best for them.the children's home of pittsburgh obtained a contract with the statewide adoption and permanency network (swan) in july of 2012. The mission of swan is to help children who are in the custody of children, youth and family service agencies to prepare for and to achieve permanency. The adoption program provides several different types of services under the contract: - child preparation units of service are sessions with children that help them to understand their histories and why they cannot live with their biological parents. This helps children to be well adjusted in their current placements and prepare for a permanent placement. - child profiles are another unit of service which involves the social worker gathering extensive research for each child and compiling that information into a document. The document is then used to help a child's family better understand the child's history and to help each child be matched with the best family possible. The children's home also trains and completes family profiles on families interested in adopting through the foster care system and supports them through the process of being matched with a child. After matches are facilitated, the children's home provides foster care services to the child and family to support the placement until finalization.post permanency units of service are also completed with families who have already adopted through the children's home. Post permanency units of service allow the children's home to offer post adoption support services to all our adoptive families. Additional swan services completed include helping county children and youth agencies draft post adoption contact agreements between birth and adoptive families, working with children to identify permanent resources for them, and supervising the placement of a child in an adoptive home as requested by a county agency.

Pediatric viewpediatric view is a one-of-a-kind program that exists nowhere else in the country and helps to identify cortical visual impairment in the neonatal, infant, and pediatric populations. Early detection when the brain is still able to learn, grow, and adapt sets children up with the most effective plan to experience healthy independence, numeracy, literacy, and well-being.this initiative treats patients with cortical visual impairment (cvi), a visual disfunction that occurs within the brain, not the eye. Patients receive the tools they need to positively experience the world around them. Pediatric view began in the 1990s as an extension of nicu follow-up programs. It has been continually administered by dr. Christine roman-lantzy, growing from a local program to one that serves families internationally. During the 30 years that this program has been in existence, it has positively impacted the lives of more than 2,500 neonates and pediatric patients.cvi is caused by conditions that impact the structure or function of the visual processing areas of the brain. Conditions may occur at birth or be acquired later through trauma. Some specific causes of cvi include hypoxia/asphyxia, white matter disorders, stroke, intraventricular hemorrhage, genetic and chromosomal disorders, and seizures. Children with cvi have a brain-based form of visual impairment and therefore can improve their functional vision due to neuroplasticity. Improvements in functional vision affect every area of the child's learning and development, and therefore, it is a matter of urgency that these children receive appropriate and intensive support. General approaches have not been effective. Cvi requires a highly trained specialist who can assess and design an appropriate intervention plan. Pediatric view is one of very few centers in the world that can develop a comprehensive program for children with cvi. Our cvi range proficiency program is a signifier of competence for educators and related service providers in assessing and supporting children with cvi using the cvi range functional vision assessment. The cvi range proficiency has been developed in response to parents and educators who have continually voiced a need to ensure competency in understanding cvi and its impact on learning.pediatric view maintains financial sustainability and diversity through:- fee-for-service structure for assessments, treatment plans, consultations, and intensives- annual conference sponsorships- school support contracts- proficiency certification program completionthe council of the city of pittsburgh declared october 24th as pediatric view day. Our pediatric view practice is devoted to cortical visual impairment (cvi) advocacy by promoting awareness, identifying those who are at risk, and collaborating with professionals to improve outcomes in development and learning. The council commended the pediatric view program of the children's home of pittsburgh & lemieux family center for its extensive work in cvi.

Family centered therapywe have created a cohesive continuum of care for children, where our therapists, teachers, and nurses will work together with families to optimize a child's individualized plan and progress. We specialize in:- complex swallowing and feeing- cortical visual impairment (cvi) - seating and mobility- sensory integration- splitting and casting- augmentation communication - assistive technology.we have expanded our therapy services to continue our vision of holistic healthcare. This expansion reflects a vision of empowerment and growth, ensuring that every child and family receives the support they need to thrive. We now provide personalized treatment plans for children with physical disabilities or developmental delays. We have invested in equipment, expanded therapy rooms (including a gym), and recruited specialized therapists, so the children we serve will improve mobility, enhance communication skills, and promote independence.our current services include:- physical therapy- occupational therapy- speech therapy- early intervention therapy- feeding therapy- vision support servicesour therapists are now early intervention providers, as well. Pennsylvania's early intervention free program provides coaching support and services to families with children, from birth to age three, with developmental delays and disabilities. Early intervention focuses on helping children meet individual goals and are provided in natural environments, like our child's way daycare.