Page 31 - 2024 April report

GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES (9)
Bill was asked about the insurance reimbursements. He said Medicaid reimburses $20 of the $80 per hour cost of a therapist. So there will always be a grant component to the programs. A question was asked about children after age 3. Bill said students who begin with the programs at age 4 or 5 can learn spoken language, but it’s much harder. Another question was about the rollout of Talk2Me. Bill said there were 30 users initially from 3 groups – early service providers, BabyTalk therapists and families directly. The plan is to continue introducing it to additional families. Asked about sustainability, Bill said that while BabyTalk will not be sustainable, Talk2Me will reach breakeven at 1,000 children. He believes that if it is providing language to enough children, the states could be motivated to provide additional funding. Bill recused himself and left the meeting.
During the discussion, there was agreement that the program is good and has good leadership. Bill has a strong background in the private sector and is a practical person. There is some risk involved, but the potential of the programs justifies the risk.
The Committee voted unanimously, with Bill Corwin abstaining, to approve as presented an application from Weingarten Children’s Center for a 1:1 matching grant of $450,000 over 3 years for the BabyTalk and Talk2Me programs.
13. Upcoming meetings
Fall 2024 – Sunday, September 8th – Spokane, Washington Winter 2024 – Saturday, December 7th – Palm Beach, Florida Spring 2025 – Sunday, March 16th – Orlando, Florida
It has been 13 years since the Committee visited the University of Central Florida and the Committee agreed we should visit in March 2025.
There being no other business, the meeting adjourned at 2:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted this 17th day of April 2024.
R. Malcolm Macleod Lady Hereford Committee Chair Program Specialist
Education / A Powerful force for change
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