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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Where can a single mom with an aggressive, non-compliant 3-year-old who gets kicked out of preschool turn for help, especially without insurance support? Because of charitable care she will now be able to receive services, thanks to Agi (ah-gie) Plenk, founder and visionary of The Children's Center.
Fifty years ago Agi pioneered programs dedicated to early intervention, working with preschool children up to 5 years of age who have behavioral problems. She started The Children's Center in a church in Holladay with a few kids in need and the center now has two locations, the newest in Salt Lake City at 350 S. 400 East. They help up to 2,000 children each year.
She used to say she wasn't worried about the kids at The Children's Center but the ones who weren't. This is the largest center with such a targeted approach in the United States. You can find comparable centers in Chicago, Boston and San Francisco, and each center is only treating around 50 children per year.
With autism, abuse and domestic violence on the rise, we're looking at 19,000 children from birth to age 4 in Salt Lake County who qualify for mental health care. Doug Goldsmith, director of The Children's Center, has been working there 30 years and says it's no wonder The Children's Center has been dubbed "a beacon of hope." Recipients of the service who are now adults say the treatment they received years ago as a child saved their lives. After the children get the intervention therapy they need, 95 percent of parents say they have a better relationship with their kids.
These behaviors affect the entire family . . . the harmony, balance and frustrations. I asked Doug how he does it day in and day out, and he said to be a witness to the changes in the kids and their family is a constant reward. This is why it's critical for The Children's Center to raise funds every year to operate fully. For more information, visit tccslc.org.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
The Children's Center 350 S. 400 East Salt Lake City, UT 84057 1-800-999-1863 www.emergencyessentials.com
