Coaches Program

The explosive crisis in methamphetamine addiction and production is directly impacting children. It is producing an ever-increasing number of children needing specialized health, mental health, and educational services. Children’s Center has seen a dramatic increase in referrals for children
exposed to methamphetamine. Many of these children have symptoms of severe mood dysregulation. A child’s inability to regulate his mood often exhibits extreme irritability, hyperactivity, low tolerance of frustration and the inability to sleep. Rages and extreme temper tantrums in more than one setting, such as home and school, are also characteristic of children exposed to methamphetamine.

With a generous three-year grant from the Legacy Health System Community Health Fund received in 2006, Childrens’ Center developed a specialized program for preschoolers exposed to methamphetamine—the most vulnerable population we serve. To illustrate just how great a need there is for such a program, the following lists our successes in the second year of program operation:

• 58 children exposed to meth and 123 collateral and/or family members involved with the care of those children were provided with direct intervention and specialized training.
• None of the children have been expelled from care, either in their foster or kinship placement, or from their daily early learning environments.
• 91 community professional staff members, including social workers, nurses, pediatricians, educators, school administrative staff and parents, have received training through our outreach activities.
• As a result of our work with the preschool population, Clark County Commissioners awarded a $99,000 grant to the Children’s Center for our work with older children who are meth-affected.