Children’s Network celebrates 20 years of SART – making a difference in the lives of children prenatally exposed to drugs, alcohol and violence

Citrus Counseling Service’s Tiahna Frankian presents “Celebrating the Now” at the 20^th Anniversary SART celebration.

San Bernardino County’s Children’s Network celebrated the 20^th Anniversary of the Screening, Assessment, Referral and Treatment (SART) program on Oct. 8 at First 5 San Bernardino.

The SART program utilizes a team of highly qualified professionals to screen, assess, refer and treat children ages zero through six who may have been prenatally exposed to drugs, alcohol, and/or violence and addresses concerns with children experiencing behavior problems and difficulties maintaining appropriate behaviors in preschool settings and the child’s home.

The event featured guest speakers, including retired San Bernardino County Public Health Nurse Kay Fangerow who wrote the original grant to fund the program’s start in 2004. The program is now funded by a dual contract between San Bernardino County’s Department of Behavioral Health and First 5 San Bernardino.

Opening ceremonies were held with welcoming remarks from Children’s Network’s Associate Children’s Network Officer Hillary Steenson Ray, First 5 San Bernardino’s Staff Analyst II Ronnie Robinson, and the Department of Behavioral Health’s Deputy Director Dr. Tim Hougen.

Dr. Hougen spoke to the strength and character of all the providers and staff who work with SART stating he has no concerns about the future of the program because he knows the hearts of the people doing this work and they will always see that our community’s youngest population is being served.

Retired Public Health Nurse Kay Fangerow and Desert Mountain Children’s Center’s Chief Executive Officer Jenae Holtz looked back at 20 years of SART sharing the public’s initial skepticism about the program’s ability to remain funded from the start, “You have to find a way because we know public health nursing works,” said Fangerow.

The celebration continued with presentations from Laura Tapia of West End Family Counseling Services, Tiahna Frankian with Citrus Counseling Service, Lisa Prieto with Victor Community Support Services and Dr. Kiti Freier Randall with Loma Linda Children’s Hospital.

“The best part of providing SART services is getting the opportunity to impact children, as well as the whole family system to build resiliency,” said Tiahna Frankian.

Dr. Kiti Freier Randall announced that the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (NADEC) highlighted the SART model in its recent national report.

For the past 20 years, SART has improved children’s mental and social functioning as measured by school readiness and the achievement of appropriate developmental milestones. SART serves 2,500 children annually with another 1,500 children served through Early Identification and Intervention Services. These children are at the core of the child welfare population in San Bernardino County and present with multiple problems that require interactions with a wide variety of county agencies.

For information about Children’s Network programs and services, please visit cn.sbcounty.gov.

Additional County Update News – October 17, 2024