Carly MurphyCrean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) program received a $600,000 grant from the Scottish Rite Foundation to fully fund the RiteCare Childhood Language Center (CLC) for the next three years. This grant will enable the clinic to function as a true ‘clinic’ in Santa Ana, Calif., serving as a vital community resource.
This three-year contract will fund a manager, student staff and supervisors who oversee the clinical work experience of Chapman’s Communication Science and Disorders Program graduate students. Here, the students learn how to screen, evaluate, conduct therapy and educate children and their families in Orange County. These are children who do not otherwise qualify to receive speech-language pathology services elsewhere, lifting the financial burden of this specialized care.The majority of the children are toddlers and preschoolers, but school-age children are welcomed.
Chapman University CSD program is excited to offer these services at no cost to the community. The supervisors and student clinicians are proud that each year, they ‘graduate’ children from services, meaning that the improvement they have made in their speech and language allows them to start kindergarten with their peers.
Mary Kennedy, chair of the CSD Program shares, “The relationship that Communication Sciences and Disorders has with the Scottish Rite Foundation is a partnership that provides children and families with community based speech and language services, while at the same time, teaching our graduate student clinicians how to work with young children and give back to the community. The Scottish Rite Foundation’s commitment to children’s health and well-being is realized through this partnership with Chapman and its commitment to community service and graduate education.”
Currently, the CLC is open four days a week September through June and starting in 2025, the CLC will be open five days a week. The grant runs through 2027.
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About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from 123 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 66 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.
About RiteCare Childhood Language Center
Since the RiteCare® Childhood Language Center of Orange County in Santa Ana opened its doors in 2001, countless families have found a family-focused environment where their children learn to improve their communication skills and build self-confidence. The Center provides diagnostic and therapeutic services to children from 2 to 16 years of age who exhibit a wide range of speech, language and learning challenges. Located in Santa Ana, the Center also provides intern opportunities for students from Chapman University who are pursuing a career in speech and language pathology.
