A Peoria County board that helps people with disabilities will no longer receive state funding for an early childhood intervention program. Peoria Public Radio's Alex Rusciano reports that affects 16 employees with the Care and Treatment Board:
That's nearly all of the employees at the Care and Treatment Board. The state is instead awarding the $875,000 grant to Peoria Easter Seals. County Administrator Lori Curtis Luther says that means the Care and Treatment Board will instead focus on different programs with other pass through funding it gets every year:
“Historically, some of those funds have gone to organizations like Camp Big Sky, that covered some costs to help them provide services, Community Workshop and Training Center, also to Easter Seals for their Sensory Diet Services and PARC for a variety of services as well,” Curtis Luther says.
Luther says the Care and Treatment Board might still appeal to the state for the grant funding that starts July 1st. She says Easter Seals could also hire current Care and Treatment employees if it starts running the grant program next fiscal year. Curtis Luther says either way, the state-funded early childhood intervention services are set to continue.