Bonnie Floro, Executive Director
Children’s Aid Society provides many services throughout central Pennsylvania. In 2017, the agency served 1,352 people through four major service areas: Adoption & Foster Care Services include private and Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network (SWAN) adoption services, international home studies, recruitment, training and supervision of resource families to provide foster care, and a support group;
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Clearfield County provides mentors for children in need;
Child Care & Early Learning Services include our Child Care Center, school-age care, and a Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts classroom, and;
Family Support Services including relationship and marriage educational classes and workshops, parenting instruction through evidence-based programs, a support group for grandparents and other relatives caring for children, supervised visits and a variety of in-home services designed to improve family functioning.
For over a decade, we have received federal funding to provide marriage and relationship education classes and workshops. Our program, called Real Relationships, holds free workshops in Centre and Clearfield Counties and seven additional counties throughout the year. It is not therapy, but a provision of tools to make relationships the best that they can be. Some of the topics include: how to keep the fun and friendship in your relationship, communication danger signs and positive communication strategies, problem-solving, and personalities and expectations. The workshops are a blend of lecture and activities and participants are not asked to share anything with the group unless they choose to.
For married couples, we provide couples’ retreats on select weekends including free meals, overnight hotel stay and a stipend. Non-married individuals or couples can participate in relationship workshops which also include meals and stipends. Weekly classes are also available.
Centre County residents also have access to our wide range of Adoption Services which are available throughout central Pennsylvania including: Birthparent counseling; SWAN orientation; Home Study/Family Profile preparation; Child Specific Recruitment; Post-Adoption Supervision; Court Appearances; International Placement Help; Adoption Classes; Child Profiles; Child Preparation; Matching Services; Post-Placement Supervision; Finalization; Post Permanency Services; Birth Family Searches, and; Voluntary Post Adoption Contact Agreements. Many of these services are provided at no cost to the families through the SWAN program.
Our Adoption program is Hague Accredited, which allows the agency to assist prospective adoptive families adopting from countries party to the Hague Convention. Foster Care Services provide supportive families for children who need temporary care until they are re-unified with their biological families or become available for adoption. We recruit and assist families through the approval process, supervise placements, and work closely with county children and youth agencies to ensure children receive the best possible care.
For more information about any of our programs please visit our website at www.childaid.org or call 814-765-2686.
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