Open Letter from Board of Child Care President & CEO Laurie Ann Spagnola

We are so excited to announce the merger of our two organizations! This partnership will enable UMHC to leverage BCC’s deep expertise while continuing UMHC’s rich, 102-year legacy of providing exceptional care to young people and their families in Central Pennsylvania. The two organizations are excellent partners due to their shared United Methodist history, traditions, core values and methodology for delivering services

Here are some significant facts you need to know about the merger:

Bishops of the governing United Methodist Conferences, along with the boards of directors of BCC and UMHC, enthusiastically support the new partnership. The Pennsylvania State Attorney General and Cumberland County Orphans’ Court have also approved of the merger.

Over the past 100 years, both organizations have transformed from simple room and board orphanages to full-service providers grounded by evidence-based therapeutic practices. A great recent example of improved services includes the launch of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

A collaborative opportunity emerged in late 2018 when BCC and UMHC jointly applied and was awarded a Federal grant to expand part of its residential program. Without partnering together, neither provider on its own had enough vacant bed capacity to competitively apply for the grant. Thank you for your support of both organizations as we seek to enrich communities, one family at a time across the Mid-Atlantic

For more information on our shared history, please visit the BCC website at boardofchildcare.org/shared-history/

Laurie Anne Spagnola President and CEO