Ground breaking center

CSC Breaks Ground for New Infant/Toddler Center

Community Services for Children (CSC), local administrator for Head Start and Early Head Start, officially broke ground for a new day treatment center for infants and toddlers referred by Children and Youth of both Lehigh and Northampton Counties.  The 11,600 sf one-story building will be completed next summer.

            Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony were Jane Ervin, CEO/President of CSC; Don Cunningham, Lehigh County Executive; Paula Margraf, Executive VP of CSC and Director of Head Start of the Lehigh Valley; and Tina Thompson, Vice Perisdent of the Head Start Parent Policy Council.

Firms selected for work on the project include Spaces for Children of Berkeley, CA and USA Architects, with local offices in Easton, PA. Alvin H. Butz, Inc, Allentown, PA, won the competitive RFP process for construction management of the project.

Contractors to date include Sargent Enterprises of Jim Thorpe for trash removal, Empire Wrecking Company of Reading, PA for abatement and demolition, Liberty Engineering of Allentown for civil engineering /site development, and Barry Isett & Associates of Trexlertown for Phase 1 environmental study.

Additional construction awards have been made so far to Scheuermann Excavating for site preparation, Panzitta for concrete work, Duggan and Marcon for carpentry, The Warko Group for plumbing, Orlando Diefenderfer for electrical work, Millwork Specialties for casework, Hazleton Painting for painting, H. T. Lyons for HVAC, and Slatington Fabricators for steel. Additional work will be awarded in the coming months. 

Total project cost is estimated at $5.4 million. The federal government has awarded CSC $700,000 to date. CSC has entered the quiet phase to raise $3 million in a capital campaign, which includes seeking at least $250,000 through a redevelopment grant from the state. The remaining $1.7 million will be mortgaged.

            The center will offer SafeStart, the region’s only therapeutic classroom program for abused infants and toddlers. SafeStart helps very young children overcome health problems, developmental delays, and emotional trauma. SafeStart strengthens families to stop the cycle of abuse. With early, intensive intervention, their future can change from failure and costly consequences to success.

            SafeStart is funded by the federal Early Head Start program and child welfare in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Due to its success and with the aid of federal and county assistance, CSC expanded SafeStart, but has outgrown current space.