Board of Child Care Q1 2023 Core Value Award Winners

The Board of Child Care would like to recognize Jasmine Mayo, Diane Baerga, Sheena Santana, and Jasha "Shay" Washington as our Q1 2023 Core Value Award Winners!

Jasmine Mayo—Safety
Regional Navigator, OMHC (Pasadena)

Here is what her nomination said:

“Jasmine Mayo, the new Regional Navigator, has made such an impact on our agency in such a short time of being employed. However, I want to focus on her ability to provide safety support to her Regional Navigator survivors.

Jasmine has been able to provide support and services while building a trusting and safe relationship with those on her caseload.”

Thank you, Jasmine, and congratulations!

Diane Baerga—Relationships
Administrative Assistant, Caminos West (PA)

Here is what her nomination said:

“Diane Baerga keeps good communication and relationship between Caminos Program and Residential. She is a liaison to help Caminos Staff incorporate with residential, using PA Regulations. Example: She was the guide during the DHS Inspection and, she helped to keep everything in compliance with PA Regulations. Caminos had a successful inspection.”

Congratulations, Diane, and thank you!

Sheena Santana—Impact
Youth Care Professional, Caminos West (PA)

Here is what her nomination said:

“Sheena is a go-getter and is always taking the time to complete tasks to help make the program run smoother for the youth and her co-workers. Sheena never stops working and taking on tasks even when she has a full plate herself.

When Sheena arrives on campus on Sunday mornings, she gets everything going for the week and gives the kitchen a thorough cleaning before the second staff member is set to arrive. Sheena also helps the youth feel more comfortable on campus, by branching out of her comfort zone and cooking and preparing meals to the youth’s liking and cultural background. She has spent much time improving her Spanish and can now hold productive conversations with the youth.

“Sheena has impacted the program positively in many ways and continues to each day.”

Congratulations and thank you, Sheena!

Jasha "Shay" Washington—Empathy
Awake Overnight Youth Care Professional (Hagerstown)

Here is what her nomination said:

“Shay’s great and positive attitude during tough times here in the Falling Waters facility has made the staff and youth turn negative outcomes into positive outcomes. She is making a great impact on all that she comes across.”

Congratulations, Shay, and thank you!

SAFETY as a mindset—We value life, spirit, and health above all else and take action to maintain the safety of our workplaces, programs, and services through a trauma responsive lens. We are personally accountable for our own safety and collectively responsible for the mental, emotional, and physical safety of our community.

Foster RELATIONSHIPS within our community—Openness and honesty with all stakeholders make for both the best program outcomes and team culture. Inclusive practices are the building blocks for trust. We create space for conversations that grow transparency about our decisions, promises, and understanding of one another.

IMPACT drives lasting change—We seek to make lasting change in the lives of those we work with by providing services that are inclusive, measurable, and durable. We maximize our impact by investing in staff and board development. Feedback presents opportunity for action, which enhances and strengthens our programs and their outcomes.

Listen and respond with EMPATHY—Empathy will guide our programming and culture at all levels. A supportive work and program environment means valuing the voices of all people, ensuring equitable representation, and growing a desire to know and understand others. We recognize that with empathy we will better understand what type of care and encouragement to provide

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Board of Child Care Awarded Grant to Support Youth Incentive Store at Mechanicsburg Campus

MECHANICSBURG, PA (January 2023) — The John L. and C. Jeanette Witmer Charitable Trust has awarded a special distribution grant to the Board of Child Care to support its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) store at its Mechanicsburg campus.

The store serves as an incentive to support the behavioral, academic, social, and treatment goals of the program’s youth. The same PBIS system used by BCC in its residential program is employed by tens of thousands of schools across the United States (often operating under different names and flavors, such as ‘behavior bucks’). In general, these programs help to lower critical incidents, increase engagement, and focus on rewarding positive behavior.

BCC staff reward kids throughout the day with “BCC bucks” that they can then use to shop.  The grant funds will be used to keep the store supplied with apparel, sports equipment and games, and bigger ticket items like field trips and other special interest activities.

“The stores are important components of our residential program, and we are grateful to the John L. and C. Jeanette Witmer Charitable Trust for the generous support,” said Laurie Anne Spagnola, BCC president & CEO.

“This system has been proven to improve social emotional competence and academic success, improve engagement, and actually also improve relationships between the caregivers and kids.”

PBIS is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health of our residential youth. PBIS has been proven to improve social emotional competence and academic success, as well as the health and wellbeing of caregivers. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning and living environments where everyone thrives. Thank you to the John L. and C. Jeanette Witmer Charitable Trust for their extraordinary support!

We use PBIS across our residential locations. Want to help? We are always accepting contributions or donations of commonly used store items.

More info here:

PBIS Incentive Stores

About the Board of Child Care

The Board of Child Care is a private, 501(c)3 not-for-profit that has been serving youth and their families for over 145 years. The organization’s history is rooted in faith, with its early beginnings being several orphanages operated by the United Methodist Church throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Following several mergers, first in 1960 and another in 2019, it is known today as the Board of Child Care. With a staff of 700+, an annual budget around $50 million, and its network of partners, BCC supports communities via a national footprint of programs that extend across the Eastern half of the United States. Its broad spectrum of services to youth and their families include residential, mental/behavioral health, trauma response, family support, and education. To learn more or see how you can get involved, visit boardofchildcare.org.

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Celebrating Black History Month

The BCC Compass – February 2023

As we are in the cusp of Black History Month, I am once again in awe of the amazing attributes that the Black community has given to our society and my heart aches for the walls and injustices that were put in the way. It reminds me that we must continue to make choices that aid in breaking down those walls and to continue to listen and tell the stories of the past and support members of the community.

Some of you might have watched movies depicting stories you might not have heard of before. A few years ago, I watched “Hidden Figures” and was amazed about the impact that African-American women had on the NASA space program. And at the same time, I was disheartened that I did not learn about these stories in school nor was it common knowledge.

Lt. Gen. Frank Petersen, first African American Marine Corps aviator, Vietnam War Vet, and first African American Marine General Officer once shared his story with me about returning back to the Naval Air Base in Pensacola Florida from fighting in Vietnam, only to be told he had to sit in the back of the bus.

During a trip to South Africa, I had met Themba, who was imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela because of his fight against the apartheid government. Yet, so many years later he spoke of forgiveness and reconciliation as a tool to heal what was done wrong to him.

So many of these stories resonate with the thread of perseverance and the desire to achieve, despite the circumstances that surrounded them.

We continue to hear stories of those who rise above their circumstances, and we should remember and embrace these lived experiences. They are to be celebrated.

Our challenge is not to settle.

Our challenge is to continue to be disturbed by the current strifes and circumstances facing the Black community or any community that has been marginalized. Continue to support the community with our presence, gifts, and voice. Be prepared to have an open heart and mind to listen and accept.

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Board of Child Care Awarded Grant to Support Strengthening Families Program in Central Pennsylvania

MECHANICSBURG, PA (January 2023) — The Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation has awarded a grant to the Board of Child Care to sponsor the Strengthening Families Program in Central Pennsylvania.

The Strengthening Families Program – a partnership between Cumberland County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Dickinson College, and Board of Child Care – is a free, community-based, family-friendly prevention program available to families in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, and surrounding communities.

The program provides families with enhanced parenting techniques to build transformative generational life skill changes that strengthen family bonds. This is achieved by working with parents on their parenting skills and helping youth (ages 10-14) with decision-making, life skills, conflict resolution, and peer pressure.

Participants meet one evening each week for seven weeks, beginning with a group meal. Facilitators meet separately with parents and youth to work on specific topics ranging from coping skills to goal setting, conflict resolution, empathy, understanding developmental changes, avoiding substance abuse, and ways to show love and support. Then, participants reconnect, talk about the new skills they learned, and practice decision-making and joint problem-solving skills through role-playing.

“This program provides the tools, language, and safe environment families need to rebuild positive relationships,” said Laurie Anne Spagnola, BCC President and CEO.

“We are so excited to partner with Cumberland County Drug and Alcohol Commission and Dickinson College to bring this program back as an offering to the community in Central PA and we are grateful to the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation for helping to make it possible.”

About the Board of Child Care

The Board of Child Care is a private, 501(c)3 not-for-profit that has been serving youth and their families for over 145 years. The organization’s history is rooted in faith, with its early beginnings being several orphanages operated by the United Methodist Church throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Following several mergers, first in 1960 and another in 2019, it is known today as the Board of Child Care. With a staff of 700+, an annual budget around $50 million, and its network of partners, BCC supports communities via a national footprint of programs that extend across the Eastern half of the United States. Its broad spectrum of services to youth and their families include residential, mental/behavioral health, trauma response, family support, and education. To learn more or see how you can get involved, visit boardofchildcare.org.

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40 Days of Positivity 2023 Calendar

Join Board of Child Care on this year’s journey towards 40 days of positivity!

To encourage our team and community to strive for positivity, we developed an activity calendar with 40 days of prompts modeled around the core values of BCC. Together, we will once again make a commitment this year to practice positivity and be kind to others—as well as ourselves.

In addition, this year we will are facilitating an Imago Dei Lenten Bible Study. A five-week study written in the style of Lectio Divina—a four-step process where the community comes together to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate—our goal is to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion through the lens of the Holy Spirit.

To help in this endeavor, we have developed a 40 day calendar with prompts for thoughts and actions modeled around the core values of BCC. We encourage everyone to participate in this as a joint effort for team members, residents, and our surrounding communities.

Ready to get started? Download these resources:

View Calendar Ver Calendario

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Thank You, Jackie!

Jackie’s Retirement Announcement

It is with mixed emotions that we announce the bittersweet news that Jackie Columbia, our Executive Director of WV and PA programs, recently shared her plans to retire after an illustrious 20-year tenure at the Board of Child Care.

Jackie has devoted her 40-year professional career to facilitating change in others, both on individual and organizational levels. Jackie was pivotal in helping to give BCC roots in WV and adapt to the evolving needs of children and families by overseeing the development and offering of international and domestic residential services, innovative educational learning environments, and effective community-based programs.

Four years ago, Jackie stepped into the Executive Director role to respond to an opportunity to grow our BCC family with the addition of the United Methodist Home for Children (UMHC) in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Jackie has worked tirelessly to align the two agencies so we could work together in support of more youth and families in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Certainly, BCC is fortunate to have benefitted from Jackie’s expertise and talents to help us enrich communities, one family at a time. We wish Jackie all the best in this next chapter of a hard-earned and well-deserved retirement!

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Jim Young Memorial Golf Tournament — Thank You!

 

 

Despite a threatening weather forecast on the morning of our annual Jim Young Memorial Golf Tournament, blue skies prevailed to provide another wonderful day of fun and fellowship on the greens. This year’s tournament raised an unprecedented $65,000 for Pennsylvania youth and programs!

This annual golf tournament was memorialized in honor of Jim Young in 2012. Jim grew up at the United Methodist Home for Children with his brothers, Don and Randy. In 1986, Jim and Don founded Universal Media. We are deeply grateful to our friends at Universal Media—especially Don Young and Jim Parsons—for providing their leadership to the tournament and helping to keep vital ties to the past, present, and future alive. Jim Young remains a true inspiration to us all, and he is dearly missed by those who knew him.

We wish to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of of our sponsors, participants, and donors for making this year’s tournament an enormous success and for helping us to enrich communities, one family at a time. Stay tuned for an announcement regarding the date for the 2023 tournament. We can’t wait to see you on the greens again soon!

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40 Days of Positivity 2022 Calendar

As we find ourselves waiting for Spring to arrive, much like a Pennsylvanian groundhog ducking back into his borough, it is easy to only focus on the dark parts of the story that surround us.

While looking forward to warmer days, shorter nights, and the celebration of Easter, Passover, and Ostara, we encourage everyone to seek out positivity in our thoughts and actions.

Here at BCC, we use the model of the western Christian observance of Lent, a period of self-reflection in the 40 days leading up to the celebration of Easter. As a diverse and interfaith organization, we encourage our community to seek out the good and the positive in a time where darkness can be so prevalent.

To help in this endeavor, we have developed a 40 day calendar with prompts for thoughts and actions modeled around the core values of BCC. We encourage everyone to participate in this as a joint effort for team members, residents, and our surrounding communities.

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BCC’s Leadership Statement on the Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict


May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people.
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace

May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war.
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world.
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

– A Franciscan Blessing

On Friday, November 19th, 2021, a “not guilty on all counts” verdict related to Kyle Rittenhouse was announced to the world. This verdict reopened wounds for many and reminded us that justice seems out of reach and many times not just for people of color. It is clear, we still have a long way to go in achieving a racially just and equitable society. This verdict, while extremely disappointing, is not an anomaly. In addition, there are a variety of opinions and feelings about the verdict.

Board of Child Care stands with and by our colleagues of color. You have our support, our voice, our empathy, and our action. We will use our power, platform, and privilege to lead meaningful, strategic, and systemic change at BCC. We will change what we can and know that making a place where everyone in our BCC experiences a healthy culture where each of us can engage with joy and purpose is one of our most important challenges. We will use our empathy skills to seek first to understand and work hard to find common ground in our rich diversity at BCC.

Coping as a Community

Speak up when you experience or witness intolerance, mistreatment, or bias in action. No matter what the issue, say something. If you don’t know what to say, start by asking, “What did you mean by that?” Listen, then respond calmly based on facts. Saying nothing when such instances arise condones the discrimination or microaggression. Here’s a powerful and short clip on microaggressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDd3bzA7450.

Create an inclusive environment for everyone. Seek different perspectives and respect points of view and communication styles that are different from your own. Don’t know how to talk about race? The National Museum on African American History and Culture offers a great resource – check it out here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race.

Process your feelings. Disappointments like this can feel traumatizing, especially for members of marginalized groups. Talking to your supervisor, in teams, with friends and loved ones can help. BCC also makes mental health resources available for times when you may need more support through an Employee Assistance Program.

Flex Our Core Value of EMPATHY. Seek first to understand, as there may be differences of opinion. Try to stand in your colleagues’ shoes to understand what support they might need to feel community and belonging at BCC.

We can only heal and grow better together by listening and learning, by having courageous conversations, and by cultivating a trusting environment where all people feel safe, respected, and empowered to voice their ideas, thoughts, and concerns. When we behave this way, we can set an example for our communities in the Mid-Atlantic. We need to do better—and we can.

Warmly,

Laurie Anne “LA” Spagnola
President & CEO

Read more from BCC’s Leadership Statement on the Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict

Our 2021 re-accreditation site visit is complete!

Some reflections from BCC’s Chief Operating Officer

We just finished a three-day virtual site visit with CARF international and EAGLE, BCC’s two national accreditation bodies. Seven reviewers (4 from CARF, 3 from EAGLE) from across the United States and Canada spent time making sure BCC was meeting the mark across 1,700 + different standards. These ranged from governance and leadership, to finance, to program operations, to client rights.
This was a re-accreditation visit for BCC.  We get recertified every three years by CARF, and every four years by EAGLE.  Due to the pandemic, we were not able to do our visit last year, so we worked with both CARF and EAGLE to complete this accreditation jointly between the two teams.  We would usually welcome our reviewers onto campus for several days, but had to adapt to a virtual-only visit this go round.  Lots of time spent on MS Teams!
So how did we do?  Both EAGLE and CARF teams had their exit debriefs yesterday.  These are unofficial, verbal downloads of what the reviewers will be putting in their reports.  In both cases, we will not get the official report until CARF and EAGLE have both reviewed the site visit notes.  BCC holds these accreditations to learn how we can improve and do better.  There were some areas they recommended we adjust to better meet certain standards, but overall I am extremely pleased with how we did. We received compliments on the content and quality of our client and HR charts and even got some kudos on some things that BCC is doing that they are not seeing other organizations do in our space (especially in the areas of advocacy, state-level partnership to serve new populations, our alumni grant program, and the Caminos program).
At the end of the review, I’m proud to see we received perfect marks in the following categories!
  • Leadership
  • Governance
  • Strategic Planning
  • Financial Planning and Management
What happens next?
  • In both cases, the reviewers make a recommendation up to CARF/EAGLE, who will then officially deliver our accreditation result.
  • Once we get our official results, we’ll submit a Quality Improvement Plan (or Corrective Action Plan) to address any areas noted that we need to adjust in order to meet the standard.

I’m incredibly proud of our teams for the amazing work they do every day – and especially for how they came together this week to really showcase how BCC shines! Great job everyone!

– Kristian

Kristian Sekse is BCC’s Chief Operating Officer.  One of his areas of responsibility is Quality Improvement (also called Quality Assurance), which is the team responsible for maintaining BCC’s audit, compliance, survey, reporting, and risk management programs.  This team oversees BCC’s accreditations and certifications.

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