MECHANICSBURG, PA (January 2023) — The John L. and C. Jeanette Witmer Charitable Trust has awarded a special distribution grant to the Board of Child Care to support its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) store at its Mechanicsburg campus.
The store serves as an incentive to support the behavioral, academic, social, and treatment goals of the program’s youth. The same PBIS system used by BCC in its residential program is employed by tens of thousands of schools across the United States (often operating under different names and flavors, such as ‘behavior bucks’). In general, these programs help to lower critical incidents, increase engagement, and focus on rewarding positive behavior.
BCC staff reward kids throughout the day with “BCC bucks” that they can then use to shop. The grant funds will be used to keep the store supplied with apparel, sports equipment and games, and bigger ticket items like field trips and other special interest activities.
“The stores are important components of our residential program, and we are grateful to the John L. and C. Jeanette Witmer Charitable Trust for the generous support,” said Laurie Anne Spagnola, BCC president & CEO.
“This system has been proven to improve social emotional competence and academic success, improve engagement, and actually also improve relationships between the caregivers and kids.”
PBIS is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health of our residential youth. PBIS has been proven to improve social emotional competence and academic success, as well as the health and wellbeing of caregivers. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning and living environments where everyone thrives. Thank you to the John L. and C. Jeanette Witmer Charitable Trust for their extraordinary support!
We use PBIS across our residential locations. Want to help? We are always accepting contributions or donations of commonly used store items.
More info here:
About the Board of Child Care
The Board of Child Care is a private, 501(c)3 not-for-profit that has been serving youth and their families for over 145 years. The organization’s history is rooted in faith, with its early beginnings being several orphanages operated by the United Methodist Church throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Following several mergers, first in 1960 and another in 2019, it is known today as the Board of Child Care. With a staff of 700+, an annual budget around $50 million, and its network of partners, BCC supports communities via a national footprint of programs that extend across the Eastern half of the United States. Its broad spectrum of services to youth and their families include residential, mental/behavioral health, trauma response, family support, and education. To learn more or see how you can get involved, visit boardofchildcare.org.