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COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 Resources for Families and Updated Information
Need help? – non-emergency help call 211
CONTACT CSC – CONTACT ELRC
COVID-19 School Closure for the remainder of the 2019-2020 School year
A Message from our CEO
Dear CSC Families and Community Partners,
This has certainly been an extraordinary time as we face the challenges before us in our community and country. Read more about this message…
Resources for Parents from the National Head Start Association
Find information on how to avoid getting sick, what to do if you get sick, what to do with your kids and much more.
Learn-at-Home Resources
PNC Grow Up Great – Since 2004, PNC Grow Up Great® has been helping children from birth through age five develop a passion for learning that lasts a lifetime. PNC Grow Up Great offers free resources to help with the continuity of learning while young children are home. Additionally, there are new tools, developed by Sesame Workshop and Fred Rogers Productions, to help parents address children’s fears and anxieties.
Khan Academy for Kids – Video library of content for kids to learn at home
PRE-K Activities at Home – Use these fun activities to make the most of time at home with Pre-Kindergartners that boost their reading, math, and critical thinking skills and their mental health. Click on the link and open the document. Have fun!
NAEYC Message in a Backpack – Turn laundry time into learning time! Whether you’re washing clothes at home or at the laundromat, there are plenty of things to talk about with your child. These rich conversations help to build your child’s language and literacy development. Try the following activities the next time you are doing a load of laundry.
NHSA Resource Page – National Head Start Association has provided a great list of learning at home resources.
Food Resources
– Supply and demand will dictate the ability for food pantries to maintain consistency throughout the coming days/weeks. It is possible to that due to high demand and remote work situations that there may not always be someone available to respond to phone calls at these community organizations.
Food Access Resources:
Catholic Charities:
179 Chew Street, Allentown, PA (off of 2nd Street)
Currently providing to the entire community: Mondays and Fridays from 12:00-1:30 pm (prepared food)
Salvation Army:
144 N. 8th Street and 344 N. 7th Street, Allentown, PA
Food bank dates and hours: 3/25 and 4/8 from 10 am – 12 pm on Turner Street entrance. Prepared bags/grab & go. Other appointments by phone. 610-432-0129
Greater Valley YMCA:
425 S. 15th Street, Allentown, PA
Continuing to serve youth meals Monday-Friday: Dinner 4-5 pm
Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley:
Serves both Lehigh and Northampton Counties. The Find Food search engine on the Second Harvest website allows users to search for food resources by zip code.
PA 211: Get Connected. Get Help
Families in our community can call 2-1-1 or visit the PA 211 website if they need help. Pennsylvania 211 East is a free, confidential, non-emergency, 24-hour information and referral service that connects Lehigh, Northampton, and Carbon county residents with health and human services they need.
Help your child keep learning with this free at-home education resource.
Teri Haddad March 18th, 2020
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4th Annual CSC Golf Tournament Cancelled
Due to these uncertain and trying times, CSC has cancelled the Golf Tournament scheduled for June 15. We are grateful for your understanding and support.
Teri Haddad March 18th, 2020
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Community Services for Children welcomes Charles Stinner to Board of Directors
Community Services for Children is honored to welcome Charles Stinner to its Board of Directors. 
Mr. Stinner, of Schnecksville, is the VP of Taxes at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. He is responsible for managing the tax affairs of the company, including tax planning and compliance. He is a member of the finance leadership team and is an officer of the Air Products Foundation. Air Products is a world-leading industrial gas company, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with more than 17,000 employees and operations in 50 countries.
Mr. Stinner joined Air Products in 1991. Prior to joining Air Products, Mr. Stinner clerked for the United States District Court and practiced tax law in Philadelphia. He holds a B.S. degree in accounting from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from Cornell University.
Mr. Stinner is a member of the Pennsylvania bar and currently serves on the board of directors of the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. He is a past Chair of the board of PBS39 and has also served on the board of the Hillside School.
Community Services for Children is a regional leader in early childhood education and family services, affecting the lives of 40,000 children annually. CSC’s Head Start/Early Head Start program is recognized as a national center of excellence and innovation.
Nadine Slifka February 25th, 2020
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Community Services for Children welcomes Rev. Dr. Christine Nelson to Board of Directors
Community Services for Children is honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Christine Nelson to its Board of Directors.
Rev. Dr. Nelson, of Allentown, is the retired Director of Seminary Advancement at Moravian Seminary/College. She was called to this position in August 2013 to plan, guide and lead the Seminary’s overall development efforts. Before that, she was the Executive Director of Lehigh County Conference of Churches and under her 14 year tutelage, they grew to 140 churches and faith based organizations annually assisting 12,000 of the area’s most vulnerable with food, housing, mental health and youth succeeding ministries, expanding the budget to $3.5 million and increasing the Conference’s impact in the community.
Christine received her Doctor of Ministry from Hartford Seminary and holds a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, S. Hamilton, MA and a BA in Psychology from Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA. She was ordained in 1978 by the United Church of Christ.
Her community involvements include Lehigh Valley Health Network Board of Associates and its Executive Committee, the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the Muhlenberg College Board of Associates, and Rotary International, Bethlehem Club. Christine also has many community awards including Lehigh Valley Woman of Distinction from the Great Valley Council of the Girl Scouts, Peace Pilgrim of the Year Award from the Lehigh Valley Peace Pilgrimage, and the Distinguished Partner Award from Communities in Schools of the Allentown school system.
Rev. Dr. Nelson is a frequent contributor to the Morning Call religious and editorial pages. She also served for a number of years on the Sacred Heart Hospital Ethics Committee, being the first Protestant to serve on this Catholic Board. Community initiatives include the Allentown/Lehigh County 10-year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Affordable Housing Task Force.
Community Services for Children is a regional leader in early childhood education and family services, affecting the lives of 40,000 children annually. CSC’s Head Start/Early Head Start program is recognized as a national center of excellence and innovation.
Nadine Slifka February 25th, 2020
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4th Annual CSC Golf Tournament
EVENT CANCELLED
Due to these uncertain and trying times, CSC has cancelled the Golf Tournament scheduled for June 15. We are grateful for your understanding and support.
Nadine Slifka February 20th, 2020
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2019 Children’s Ball – Donley Awards Event Raises Over $100,000 To Support Community Services For Children’s Mission
Over 250 guests IMAGINED a world where communities work to put children and families first at the 2019 CSC Children’s Ball and 24th Annual Donley Awards, held at The Centennial Catering & Conference Center in Center Valley, PA.
The event raised over $100,000 to help CSC achieve its mission of preparing young children and their families to succeed in learning and in life through innovative, comprehensive, leading-edge services.
CSC provides high-quality early education to low-income children in Lehigh and Northampton counties through the Early Head Start, Head Start, and Pre-K Counts programs; and connects children and families across Northeastern Pennsylvania to early education, childcare subsidy, and other services through the Early Learning Resource Centers.
In addition to the night’s festivities, J.B. Reilly, President/CEO of City Center Investment Corporation, Donald Bernhard, Executive Director of the Downtown Allentown Community Development Initiative
(DACDI), and Communities in Schools of the Lehigh Valley (CISLV) were presented with the Inez and Edward Donley Award for Children’s Advocacy. The award recognizes those who advocate on behalf of children locally, regionally, and nationally and is named for the Donleys, who were the first recipients. They dedicated their lives to improving the health, education, and general welfare of children, and it was through their support that the CSC Donley Children’s Campus became a reality.
Special recognition of the awardees was made possible by Donley Award Sponsors – Air Products, Crayola, and PPL. Other leadership sponsors included North Star Construction, The Topper Foundation, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Lafayette College, and AmericaVen.
The evening’s activities included a reception with jazz music provided by the Brian Bortz Trio, the recognition of the Donley Award honorees, an amazing silent auction, Wine Pull, and a Magic Key Box raffle that featured a stunning pearl necklace donated by Bixler’s Jewelers. The event wrapped up with CSC exceeding its goal during a live auction that secured funding for six Second Head Start Scholarships. These scholarships will be awarded to former Head Start children, now high school seniors, as they move along the path towards higher learning, career, and life goals.
About Community Services for Children
CSC is a regional leader in early childhood education and family services affecting the lives of over 20,000 children and 2,100 families annually. CSC’s Head Start/Early Head Start of the Lehigh Valley program is recognized as a national center of excellence and innovation.
Photo – L to R – Don Bernhard, Donley Award honoree and Executive Director – DACDI; Thomas Parker, Superintendent – Allentown School District; Paula Margraf, CEO/President- CSC; John W. Margraf, MD; and Oscar A. Morffi, MD share a moment during the activity-filled evening. Credit Donna Chiarelli.
Nadine Slifka November 4th, 2019
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Paula Margraf, CSC CEO & President, Recognized as Head Start Advocate of the Month
Paula Margraf, CSC CEO & President, was recognized by the National Head Start Association as the Head Start Advocate of the Month for October 2019. Congratulations Paula!
NHSA published the following article in their NHS happenings email this month.
Head Start practitioner Paula Margraf consistently goes above and beyond as a Head Start advocate. Paula serves as President/CEO of Community Services for Children in Allentown, PA, where she spearheaded the SafeStart Early Head Start program to help children and families experiencing trauma.
Paula brought her expertise to NHSA’s Opioid Working Group and has been a strong voice in the push for more support from Congress for Head Start programs to provide trauma-informed care and services.
Most recently, Paula worked with her local member of Congress, Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07), to participate in a forum on childcare in Allentown, PA. The community event featured federal, state, and local panelists, including House Committee on Education & Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), who answered questions from nearly 150 community members.
NHSA applauds Paula Margraff [sic] for time and again contributing her expertise, innovative ideas, and dedication to strengthening Head Start communities.
Nadine Slifka October 18th, 2019
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CSC CEO Paula Margraf to participate in ELEVATE Early Learning for Every Child Discussion – Hosted by Congresswoman Susan Wild
Date: Sep. 30, 2019
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Resurrected Life Community 144 North 9th Street Allentown, PA 18102
Nadine Slifka September 25th, 2019
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PBS39’s Chloe Nouvelle visited The Learning Hub – City Center to learn more about Summer Start
Click the link below to see the PBS39 coverage of Summer Start program, a collaboration between CSC, Allentown School District, and PBS educational resources – made possible with funding by Air Products.
https://www.wlvt.org/blogs/lehigh/ready-to-learn/
Nadine Slifka August 16th, 2019
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