In 1960, parents of children with developmental and cognitive disabilities founded We Care in response to a lack of treatment options for their children. Those parents understood the complex needs of their family and created an agency that provided the help they needed and that has since evolved and expanded to address a broad range of developmental, mental health and educational concerns – all while keeping focus on each child and family and their specific strengths. Today, thousands upon thousands of children and families have graduated from We Care’s programs with dramatically improved outcomes.
Mission Statement
Through targeted, compassionate, and effective early intervention services, We Care helps the most vulnerable children in our community reach their full potential, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
We Care’s Services
Annually, we impact more than 1,000 children and family members from our community’s most vulnerable populations.
Developmental. Our effective early intervention programs target the first three years of life and significantly improve the intellectual, physical, communicative, adaptive, and emotional developmental outcomes of children with developmental delays. Our developmental classrooms and community-based services provide critical help at the time it can be most impactful.
Mental Health. Our Early Intervention Mental Health programs improve outcomes for children identified as at-risk due to significant emotional and/or behavioral disruption of their development. Established research shows that mental health programs delivered early and effectively create significant and lasting improvement in a wide arena of life-defining domains. Services include intensive Foster Care Support, Parent/Child Therapies, Perinatal Support, Wraparound, Preschool Consultation and Parenting Support. These types of interventions create life-long improvements in development and behavioral, emotional, and health outcomes.
Education. Our preschool provides a Developmental and Mental Health-enhanced curriculum designed to ensure that children with early challenges that impact learning have the best possible start to their school years.
Why Our Work Matters
Early intervention maximizes impact. Early childhood experiences from birth to age five affect the development of the brain’s structure, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health. Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for school success, stable employment, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation. We Care provides critical help at the time it’s needed most.
Our work supports the whole family. We Care addresses a broad range of family needs and provides effective solutions. Each of our programs includes parent participation, education, and support.
Early intervention is cost-effective. Significant research shows that for every dollar spent on early intervention, $4 to $7 in savings are realized over time as children avoid foster care, special education, judicial intervention, and health costs associated with missed treatment.
We Care helps at-risk children (and their families) who need us the most, at a time we can offer the greatest impact.