Russell Child Development Center staff pictured from L to R: Shara Sater, Data Manager; Erika Garcia, LMSW, Early Interventionist, Social Worker and ABC Coach; Francisca Jimenez, BSN, Growing Together Home Visitor; Dannah Schatz, ABC Coach and Triple P Coach; Deanna Berry, Former Executive Director; Katrina Lowry, Early Childhood Programs Director; and Rebecca Clancy, Executive Director. Health Fund representatives from L to R: David Jordan, President and CEO; Dan Lord, Outgoing Board Chair.
Russell Child Development Center of Garden City was honored with the 2021 Janet Sevier Gilbreath Special Project Recognition Award at a May 3 celebration in Hutchinson. The annual award, named in honor of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund’s first chairperson, is given to one funded project each year best exemplifying the Fund’s vision of Christian health ministry and demonstrating scale, results, operational excellence, and social justice.
Russell Child Development Center (RCDC) was honored for its participation in the Kansas Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) Initiative Grant, supporting implementation of an evidence-based home visiting model to build attachment and mitigate the effects of toxic stress in young children. RCDC joined the ABC initiative in 2017 and is serving 19 counties in Southwest Kansas: Seward, Greeley, Wichita, Scott, Lane, Ness, Hamilton, Kearny, Finney, Hodgeman, Stanton, Grant, Haskell, Gray, Ford, Morton, Stevens, Meade and Clark.
RCDC is known for setting high standards and working to further the project and overall initiative. They have supported multiple home visitors in achieving their certification. In 2020, two ABC home visitor staff members were trained to provide ABC-Infant (for children 6 to 24 months) and also furthered their certification to include the ABC-Toddler model (for children 2 to 4 years old). During 2021, another Spanish-speaking staff member began the ABC infant training, demonstrating RCDC’s continued commitment to serve more within their community.
When the COVID-19 outbreak reached our communities, RCDC was the first to rethink their strategy to serve families. RCDC became the first ABC site in the country to hold an ABC session via an online platform. The staff purchased earbuds and inexpensive tripods for families’ phones to make virtual visits easier and to allow the caregiver and child to be hands-free during the visit. At the time of enrollment, the RCDC staff mailed caregivers boxes of supplies that included a parent binder, copies of signed documents, and materials so the family had everything they needed for each session.
“We know who we are and why we exist. Families deserve equitable access to services no matter what is happening in the world. Our staff believes in the importance of building strong relationships with families; when you have a strong relationship with someone, you want what is best for them, you advocate for them, and you do everything in your power to help them thrive. So much of life is outside of our control, and this was harshly illustrated during the pandemic.
RCDC embraced what we could control and kept young children and families at the forefront of our decisions regarding how to best respond to the challenges presented. The young children and families in southwest Kansas deserve the best we have to offer; although not ideal, pivoting to digital services quickly and efficiently during COVID-19 ensured good things continued to happen.”
—Katrina Lowry, Early Childhood Programs Director, Russell Child Development Center
During the celebration, Rainbows United of Wichita, Inc., was recognized as the 2020 recipient of the Janet Sevier Gilbreath Special Project Recognition Award. Deanna Berry, former executive director of RCDC, was honored as the 2020 Kim Moore Visionary Leadership Award winner.