Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County outlines services, growth and needs to Prosper Town Council

Lynn McLean, CEO of the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County, told the Prosper Town Council on April 22 that the center now operates two facilities and provided detailed service and funding figures as the nonprofit seeks to ensure local children have access to coordinated care.

McLean said the center, which opened a northern facility in McKinney in 2022 in response to population growth, served 4,525 Collin County clients in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024, including 16 clients from Prosper — a 28% increase over the prior year. "We actually built this new facility and opened it in 2022 because of the exponential growth in the northern part of our county," McLean said.

The center provides forensic interviews, case management and therapy at no charge, McLean said, and uses a "one door" model designed so children and families receive services without traveling between agencies. She said the center conducted 71 forensic interviews, delivered more than 10,000 therapy services to about 770 clients, and provided family-advocate case management to more than 2,700 clients last year.

McLean described other programs that support recovery and prevention: a Rainbow Room emergency resource closet; a back-to-school fair serving roughly 804 children with shoes and supplies; a holiday project that served more than 1,300 clients; a volunteer puppet troupe, the Kids Count Players, that delivered 66 performances to 9,300 kindergarten–second-grade children; and community education that reached more than 2,600 adults on recognizing and reporting abuse and online safety.

She said the center has 66 staff, more than 834 volunteers who provided over 6,000 hours of service, and a budget of $7,300,000. McLean said about 40% of funding comes from state and federal grants and the remainder is raised privately; she added that 84% of funds raised were spent on direct program services last year. "We are a private nonprofit agency, and so 84% of the funds we raise were spent on direct program services," McLean said.

McLean also highlighted that the center works with a multidisciplinary team that includes Child Protective Services and law enforcement from across Collin County, and said that team and the district attorney's office produced a 95% conviction rate last year for cases that resulted in prosecution. "Our staff are recognized as experts in the field of child abuse and child trauma," she said, noting staff presentations at state and national conferences and a staff satisfaction rate of 95%.

Council members thanked McLean and asked how residents can access services. McLean provided the center's website and main phone number: www.caccollincounty.org and (972) 633-6600. She invited council members and staff to tour the McKinney facility.

Why it matters: Council members said the presentation underscores local demand for abuse-response services as northern Collin County grows and the town evaluates partnerships and referrals for Prosper residents. The center's combination of therapy, forensic interviewing and case management centralizes services and reduces trauma for children who need multiple types of help.

For reference: McLean identified the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County as the service provider; the center cited the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 for the statistics presented. The center's website listed by McLean is www.caccollincounty.org and its phone number (972) 633-6600.