DETROIT INSTITUTE FOR CHILDREN
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Mission Statement
The Detroit Institute for Children (DIC) annually provides more than 60,000 hours of services to children enrolled in pre-K through 12 that address an array of neurological, developmental, emotional, and behavioral needs associated with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder. Two profound principles guide us and the care we offer: • Provide compassionate, expert care to children with special needs. • Concentrate on treating the whole child, not just the disability. These founding principles remain at the cornerstone of our mission and vision today: • We empower children to overcome challenges. • Children with special needs and their families are all thriving members of the community.
About This Cause
DIC has been providing specialized diagnostic, rehabilitative, and therapeutic services to children since 1920, when the Sigma Gamma Association established an orthopedic clinic to serve childhood victims of polio and tuberculosis in Detroit. Focused on providing treatment to children in need regardless of a family's ability to pay, the clinic became a recognized leader in delivering advanced pediatric care thanks in great part to the deep personal commitment of the Sigma Gamma Association and its members, an enduring legacy of service and involvement that continues in a number of ways today. As medical care became more advanced and the clinic grew, it became apparent that Detroit’s children needed more than just orthopedic care and the clinic was re-christened the Detroit Institute for Children in the 1970s. In 1990, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) began requiring schools to provide special education and related services to their students having special needs. Coupled with the fact that the more recent Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not require insurance companies to provide coverage for many of the therapeutic services for children with special needs, DIC began delivering more of its services directly to children in schools and Head Starts rather than requiring travel to a fixed clinical site (which often posed transportation challenges for patients). Today, we provide services to children at more than 180 public and charter K-12 schools, Head Starts, and Early Childhood programs across Detroit, Southeast, and West Michigan. These sites are located in K-12 school districts that together enroll 49% of Michigan's 208,543 special education students (based on state data). In addition, data indicate 73% of the students in these districts are considered to be children of color, with 77% classified as “economically disadvantaged” making them eligible for free or reduced lunch programs. These numbers do not reflect additional children served by DIC in Head Starts and Early Childhood programs across Detroit, which by definition serve disadvantaged children and families. In 2017, DIC launched SLIDE (Summer Learning Individualized Developmental Experiences) in response to a survey conducted in conjunction with the Wayne State University Developmental Disabilities Institute that gained an understanding of what services parents, caregivers, and agency caseworkers felt were lacking or could be greatly expanded upon for children with special needs. SLIDE utilized a low child:adult ratio at three locations for up to 75 underserved children ages 5-8 and offered five weeks of focused one-on-one and group activities designed to address IEP goals related to Speech, Occupational, and Behavioral therapy. Evaluations from staff progress reports and parent surveys consistently indicated the program was an overwhelming success. Now, however, the impact of COVID-19 has led to the need for SLIDE to evolve into LEAP (Learning, Enrichment, and Achievement Programs): Helping Underserved Children with Special Needs “Catch Up and Keep Up”. LEAP will build on the strengths of SLIDE but serve a broader constituency of underserved children and families with expanded programming both during the summer and academic calendar.