The Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC) is an organization dedicated exclusively to children’s mental health, serving children from 18 months to 18 years old. Its executive director, Antonio Valdés, explains that 75% of the children they serve are ten years old or younger, reflecting their strong focus on early childhood.

The agency offers mental and behavioral health services in various settings: traditional clinics with therapy and psychiatric services, intensive in-home interventions, family care coordination, and direct presence in more than 46 public, charter, and private schools in Philadelphia.

CCTC also operates the only summer camp in Philadelphia for children with behavioral challenges and maintains culturally specific programs such as Abriendo Caminos, aimed at Mexican and Central American families, and Tamar, focused on African families. The goal is clear: to integrate children’s mental health into the spaces where they live, learn, play, and grow.

Valdés emphasizes that this network of services relies heavily on partnerships with schools, recreation centers, and community programs. The organization works with sensitivity and respect, adapting to the needs of each environment to support children and their families from a human and collaborative approach.

The use of funds and the expansion of community impact

Valdés explained that although many of CCTC’s services have funding sources, there are critical but difficult-to-finance areas that depend directly on donations and grants such as those from Philly Gives.

Among these is care coordination, an essential service that helps families cover basic needs so they can focus on their children’s treatment. “It’s hard to think about taking your child to therapy when you don’t have food at home,” he notes. That’s why these funds allow the organization to help families access housing, food, paperwork support, transportation, and other vital resources.

Another area strengthened by these donations is the set of programs for parents and caregivers, which include support groups, educational activities, and spaces designed to strengthen family tools and improve emotional well-being at home.

For CCTC, the mission is clear: continue integrating mental health into everyday environments, expand strategic partnerships, and continue supporting the most vulnerable children and families through a human, culturally sensitive, and strongly trauma-informed approach.

To the community, they say: please reach out or visit us at 1080 N. Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia — www.ctcckids.org

A mission informed by trauma and the recognition from Philly Gives

The heart of CCTC is its trauma-informed approach. The organization starts from the premise that many difficult behaviors in children are not signs that “something is wrong with them,” but that “something has happened to them.”

Valdés explains that traumatic experiences shape the way children react, protect themselves, and face the world. For this reason, CCTC teaches those in their environment — schools, counselors, teachers, coaches to change the question from “What’s wrong with them?” to “What happened to them?”

A recent example occurred in a school where the CCTC team had only been working for a few months. A ten-year-old child arrived without an absence note, and by noon he had already been in four fights. Staff members were frustrated, until the counselor, applying what she had learned from CCTC, sat down with him and asked about his weekend. The child revealed that his grandfather, a central figure in his daily routine, had passed away on Saturday. The disciplinary reports were immediately dismissed, and the focus shifted to supporting the family with understanding and compassion, the executive noted.

Regarding the recognition from Philly Gives, Valdés shared that receiving funds “unsolicited” is one of the greatest honors for the organization. “It means that our impact is visible, that our reputation is growing, and that the community values how we work,” he said. For the staff, this support confirms that they are on the right path and motivates them to continue strengthening their work.

CCTC has been selected to participate in this year’s Philly Gives campaign, which will take place from November 1 to December 31, 2025. All donations made through phillygives.org will go directly to the 10 nonprofit organizations chosen, ensuring that 100% of the funds raised support essential programs.