13 Jan KidsTLC Receives $50,000 Grant from Health Forward Foundation, Applicant Defined Grant

KidsTLC was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the Health Forward Foundation, Applicant Defined Grant to support in general operating “emergency funds” for the Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) “Phoenix” Program and Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP), the “Phoenix Sanctuary” residential programs related directly to the COVID-19 crisis.

KidsTLC considers our shift leads, therapists, residential care workers, program implementation managers, etc. to be our “front-line” staff. Thorough screening measures are in place and staff are using all precautions to keep everyone healthy.  Despite KidsTLC’s strict safety policies, these courageous staff who are coming into work every day are still putting themselves at risk in order to provide quality care to the kids we serve.  Funding for PRTF and QRTP staff salaries is critical in order to keep our program operating.

During this pandemic, KidsTLC is experiencing significant staff shortages with employees calling off work due to the heightened fear of becoming ill or giving the virus to others. Staff are feeling overworked and overwhelmed as they continue to go above and beyond their normal duties by working on separate quarantined units and following extra precautionary measures both at work and at home. We must continue maintaining regular staffing patterns and ratios to ensure our services are safe, accessible, and stabilizing for the people who need us most. In summary, KidsTLC needs emergency operating support to ensure access to mental health care for families in our community. As our top area of focus, KidsTLC has prioritized the residential program’s needs: 1) Keeping continuity of regular therapy, family therapy, and educational services and 2) Ensuring the availability of staff.

Since 1972, KidsTLC (Olathe, KS) has provided a safe, accessible, and healing community for kids and families in Johnson County and surrounding counties in Kansas. KidsTLC’s mission is to “transform the lives of children and families experiencing mental and behavioral health challenges, developmental trauma, and autism.” During the 1970s, Johnson County, Kansas had little to no resources available to temporarily house children who were removed from their homes. A group called the Johnson County Young Matrons opened the county’s first emergency shelter and founded Temporary Lodging for Children (later to become KidsTLC).  KidsTLC has continued to grow and evolve over the past 48 years while maintaining a strategic focus on child welfare and mental health.