WISH LIST $500: 2 parent education nights with dinner and childcare; $1,000: 25 hours of speech/language therapy; $15,000: student scholarship for an entire year.

The Surgeon General reports that 1 in 10 children suffers from mental illness severe enough to cause impairment – but only 1 in 5 receives special mental health services. Early intervention is key, but interestingly enough, Bowie Therapeutic Nursery Center is the only licensed therapeutic nursery in Prince George’s County and 1 of only 2 in the state of Maryland. The center operates 2 classrooms for up to 20 emotionally disturbed and behaviorally disabled preschool children, most of them disadvantaged by their economic status, prenatal drug or alcohol exposure, abuse, or neglect. BTNC helps them succeed while ensuring that parents also receive the education and support necessary to maintain a consistent plan for their kids. Individual, group, play, recreation, and speech therapies are offered to each child in a preschool setting while parents participate in Family Dinner/Parent Education programs. By helping at an early age, BTNC promises disadvantaged and troubled children a future. The effort is a collaborative one, involving parents, therapists, children and … you?

Mary DeFeo, Executive Director 3120 Belair Drive Bowie, MD 20715 301-262-9167 bowietherapeuticnursery.org