Zepf Center was awarded grant funds through The Greater Toledo Community Foundation by The Mental Health Association of Lucas County CARE Fund. This grant will allow Zepf Center to launch its Healthy Families, Hopeful Futures project and provide critical youth services to the greater Toledo area.

The CARE Fund, a one-time award, will allow Zepf Center to fill the gaps in the current mental health system by enhancing our staff’s clinical competency in specialized interventions for young children ages 1 to 7. This grant has an added focus on community partnerships, which is something local schools have been seeking for quite some time. Zepf Center CEO Deb Flores, says, “as a trauma informed organization it is our mission to support teachers working with children who have emotional distress and trauma.” Flores adds, “our program will give parents and teachers support, without being invasive or intruding in their classrooms.”

Zepf Center will utilize Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and a variation of PCIT called Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT). Additionally, TCIT will allow Zepf clinicians to learn the skills that will help to them guide and train teachers on how to best manage behaviors in the classroom by developing the teacher’s behavioral toolkit. Studies have shown that children demonstrate their emotional distress through their behaviors. The way in which teachers and parents interact with children is extremely important regarding their ability to heal from trauma and to feel safe in general. Zepf Center aims to provide PCIT/TCIT treatment to at least 40 families and two schools by June 2024.