Monadnock Easter Seals Closing, MDS Looks To Fill Gap

As Kyle Jarvis of The Keene Sentinel reports, fallout from state budget cuts continues, this time hitting the Monadnock region.

“Easter Seals of Keene is closing its program for young children with disabilities due to lack of funding, but its clients won’t be left out in the cold.

Monadnock Developmental Services, which contracts with Easter Seals to provide services for developmentally disabled children from birth to age 3, is facing a 10 percent reduction in state funding this year. That means a 10 percent cut in the funding from the agency to Easter Seals, which led Easter Seals officials to close its Keene office.

Last year, Easter Seals received about $285,000 from Monadnock Developmental Services for its early supports and services program. This year’s figure will fall short of that by about $25,000, said Alan Greene, executive director for Keene-based Monadnock Developmental Services.

The agency is required by state law to provide the services, and will take over for Easter Seals immediately.

The Easter Seals program serves about 100 children with disabilities and their families, and will be terminated on Sept. 2, after 12 years, Easter Seals officials announced Monday.”

Jarvis reports that as Monadnock Developmental Services takes over young children’s programs, the agency hopes to be able to keep on some Easter Seals employees.  MDS is also short on space, and wants to work something out with Easter Seals to use its soon-to-be-shuttered office.  Whether these moves will represent a cost cut, a cost rise, or a break-even point for MDS–and by extension, the state–remains to be seen.