Agency - S. June Smith Center

The mission of the S. June Smith Center is to provide early intervention resources for children with developmental needs and their families in homes, schools and communities.

Description:
The S. June Smith Center provides early intervention resources to children from birth through age 5. We strengthen the child, the family and the community by
teaching developmental skills to children with special needs; involving and supporting the total family; and advocating for growth and inclusion in the community.

Specific services include community-based outreach; preschool classrooms in community settings; special instruction by certified teachers; individual and integrated therapies by licensed professionals; individual service/education plans for each child and family; family and community education programs; and inter-agency collaboration.

History:
Founded in 1965 by the Lancaster Association for Retarded Citizens, the S. June Smith Center originally existed to provide services to children who were excluded from public school. In 1972, as a result of the Right to Education Consent Agreement, school-aged children were granted the same rights to an education as all other children. We then focused entirely on infants, toddlers and preschool children with special needs, basing our programs in churches and centers throughout the community.

Today, we are again shifting our purpose from serving children in special, segregated settings to providing supports in communities where all children belong. No longer are our services concentrated in self-contained centers and classrooms. Instead, we are making every effort to locate services in locations which involve the family with their community. In this way, all children learn acceptance of diversity as well as the value of different abilities and skills.

Contact person: Elyse Kauffman, Director Of Development, (phone), (email)

Address:

600-I Eden Rd Lancaster, PA 17601 (See a map)

Directions:

Consultations will be referred from S. June Smith Center for field work throughout Lancaster County.