Herkimer County to Launch Transformative Children’s Center

By Jim Wallace, Herkimer County Administrator

The Herkimer County Legislature has approved the building of a Herkimer County Children's Center in Ilion, NY. The 14,000 square foot facility will house a daycare (including infants), a children's mental health clinic, a BOCES pre-k classroom, developmental pediatrics, an Early Intervention therapy room, the Mohawk Valley Diaper Bank, a UCP developmental playgroup, as well as acting as a Connected Community Schools hub, a preceptorship site for Herkimer College, a space for childbirth education and lactation counseling, location to offer EFNEP nutrition education and local food access support.

What began as the brainchild of the Legislature and staff started years ago, for a daycare and mental health facility, has, through the leadership of Public Health Director, Christina Cain, and our entire team, grown into a one-stop shop for youth and family services.

Children in Herkimer County face significant social and physical health concerns that make the need for a cross systems collaborative children's center imperative. There are approximately 3,000 children under the age of 5 in Herkimer County, accounting for just over 5 percent of the county's population. According to the NYS Community Health Dashboard, the mortality rates for children ages 0-4 are exceptionally high at 26.0 per 100,000. Rates for children born with symptoms of neonatal withdrawal are exceptionally high at 32.8 per 1,000. Neonatal withdrawal symptoms are recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as a significant risk for serious emotional disturbance and behavioral health challenges in early childhood and adolescence.

Herkimer County youth also have a high rate of disability. On a recent youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey of county high school students, 22 percent identified themselves as having long-term emotional problems or learning disabilities and 14 percent identified themselves as having long term physical or health problems. From birth to 18, Herkimer County youth need immediate access to coordinated, strategic, and targeted services for physical, social, emotional, and behavioral health.

An additional challenge to Herkimer County families and youth is that the demand for quality childcare in Herkimer County far exceeds availability. Childcare utilization in Herkimer County is 99-100 percent for toddlers, preschool, and school-age children. Infant utilization is estimated to be at 100 percent. This leaves approximately 8,000 children, ages 12 and under, and over 80 percent of Herkimer County children under 6 years old without formal/licensed childcare options.

The lack of access to early childhood education has also directly impacted services like Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education, doubling their caseloads over the last three years and consistently increasing the complexity and intensity of cases.

The proposed Children's Center would provide developmentally appropriate educational and social experiences as well as bridge the gap between families and community resources, including behavior management, socialization, early literacy support, kindergarten readiness, health services and social service provision and referrals.

For children in poverty, this early interaction positively impacts a variety of prosocial activities, including future academic performance and high school completion rates. In addition, childcare access has immediate impacts on local economies, women and minority populations, as well as the trajectory of generational poverty.

The Center will be centrally located in one of Herkimer County's most densely populated and impoverished areas. Ilion and its surrounding areas also have incredibly high levels of poverty, specifically for ages 6 and under. Ilion's poverty rate is approximately 35 percent for this vulnerable group, while its surrounding areas also range from 35 59.8 percent.

The project is a collaborative effort both programmatically and financially. We were very fortunate to receive guidance and significant financial support from Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Stefanik. Additional support is also being provided by Empire State Development, the Mohawk Valley Regional Development Council, our local Community Foundation, the County Legislature, along with the Lieutenant Governor.

Programmatically, we are working with Herkimer College, our local BOCES, Upstate Cerebral Palsy, Catholic Charities, Connected Community Schools, Healthy Families, Public Health, and Cornell Cooperative Extension, among others.

The targeted services provided are intensive, early intervention strategies that will mitigate the disparities families in Herkimer County experience while alleviating the social and economic impact these challenges have on society.