Special Needs Child Care Programs: DECA Programs for Lake County
Starting Point is proud to support child care programs and professionals in Lake County, impacting thousands of children and families across the community through the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) program. Designed to promote resilience in children aged 2 to 5, DECA focuses on intentional individualization, family engagement, identifying needs, and fostering protective factors to ensure every child’s success.
DECA Program: Building Resilience in Children
With generous funding from United Way of Lake County, Starting Point implements the DECA program. DECA is a strength-based tool designed to build resilience in children aged 2 to 5 by fostering essential skills for pre-Kindergarten success.
The program brings together the two most influential adults in a child’s life—their parents and educators—as partners in helping children thrive. Starting Point’s Technical Assistants dedicate hundreds of hours to classrooms, modeling effective behavior supports informed by pre-test assessments. These efforts result in meaningful, measurable growth, as evidenced by post-test data.
Measuring DECA’s Impact
The results speak for themselves:
- 65% increase in students scoring in the Total Protective Factors Strengths category.
- 59% increase in students’ Initiative Strengths scores.
- 33% increase in students’ Attachment/Relationship Strengths scores.
- 58% increase in students’ Self-Regulation Strengths scores.
- 39% decrease in students scoring in the Behavioral Concerns Needs category.
