Ryan

Ryan entered The Children’s Home school after his angry outbursts and aggressive behavior prevented him from remaining in his district classroom. Ryan’s daily interactions with his peers and adults were negative and often threatening. On one occasion, he even attempted to harm the classroom pet. Ryan was in dire need of a structured, therapeutic environment to help him manage his emotions and behaviors. Without it, Ryan simply would not have the capacity to learn or improve. Three years later, Ryan has learned new coping skills, has new friends, and is doing well in school. In fact, he will return to his home school district this fall to begin in 8th grade year.

Corine

A six year-old girl shouldn't have to watch the police drag her dad out of the house, all the while hearing how "bad" he is from her mother and neighbors. Frightened and confused, Corine did what most children her age would do: she mimicked what she saw. During recess, she started playing "police" and she hurt other kids, including her friends.

Elijah

“Elijah” was an angry teenager who had always been told he’d never amount to anything good, and he believed it. His angry outbursts and inability to relate to adults or peers led to his referral to The Children’s Home’s Upper School. At first, he refused to participate and left his classroom several times a day. Staff members saw the potential in Elijah, though, and refused to give up on him. Eventually, he remained in class and was able to participate in the Virtual Academy to regain high school credits he’d lost. He even began to believe that he could earn his high school diploma; and he did, becoming the first in his family to do so. At his graduation ceremony for the Upper School, he wiped away tears as he thanked the staff who believed in him and helped him believe in himself.

Jarius

Growing up moving from foster homes, crisis centers and hospitals to his aunt's home, Jarius developed the attitude that, "no one wants to deal with me." Even his mom says he can't come back home. So Jarius can't believe that The Children's Home allows him to return to school every day. Says Jarius, "I broke a window on campus and they still let me come back. They didn"t tell me I'm not worth anything. Usually when I get angry, others get angry back. Not here. People are for real here. Mr. Dave, my teacher, asks about my feelings and tells me he can teach me to read better. I'm starting to believe him."

JP

Ten year-old “JP” entered therapy through The Children’s Home to address several difficulties: poor attention span and social skills, depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, bedwetting, and harming himself when he was angry. That’s a lot to carry for an adult, let alone a ten year-old boy. He had been removed from his mother’s care as an infant due to abuse. From there, he experienced several more placements (including two failed adoptions) where he also encountered abuse. He had five more placements throughout his therapy with The Children’s Home. Despite these challenges, JP made great strides in therapy. He improved in his ability to follow directions and stay on task. He improved his social skills and made friends, and he learned to control his anger and appropriately express his other emotions. In time, he was matched with an adoptive family. He has adjusted well to his new family, and is doing very well in school. In fact, JP recently won the first round of the school spelling bee!

Michael

“Michael”, age 12,  was referred to The Children’s Home’s Lower School when he was unable to succeed in his district school due to severe issues with anger and anxiety. Michael’s father had been murdered, and Michael blamed himself for having once wished that his father would die. His mother drifted in and out of his life, and he had little stability or structure. At the Lower School, he has made great progress dealing with his father’s death and his mother’s absence, and no longer blames himself for what has happened. He has become very independent, even making his own arrangements to audition for the School for Creative and Performing Arts. He continues to improve and proudly refers to himself as a “success story”.

Sarah

“Sarah” was born prematurely to a young mother with little resources. She weighed only 1 pound, 9 ounces at birth, and her mother feared her little girl would suffer from developmental delays. The family began participating in Every Child Succeeds shortly after Sarah’s birth, and Sarah gradually showed developmental gains. Soon, she was on track for her age group and her mother was learning to be the very best parent she could be for Sarah. Today, Sarah is a healthy three year old who has no delays in her development, and her mother serves as a mentor to other young, at-risk parents.

Terance

Growing up with a mother who was a drug addict and a father who was in and out of prison, Terance, at 14, started following in their footsteps. In and out of residential treatment facilities and a psychiatric hospital, Terance arrived at The Children's Home using drugs, fighting and skipping school. In his words, "my life was a mess." That was then.

Now, says Terance "I've made a complete 180. I rarely fight and I watch my language. I am rebuilding my relationship with my family and I'm working towards graduating from high school. The Children's Home has made a huge difference in my life."

Tommy

“Tommy” was an angry six year-old who dealt with his feelings by throwing chairs, ripping things off the wall, screaming, or refusing to talk to adults. He had daily conflicts with his teachers and peers. Then Tommy entered the Early Childhood Day Treatment program at The Children’s Home. He has learned to walk away from problems with his peers, and he frequently turns to teachers and other adults to talk about his feelings. Now back at his district school, his teachers report that he has earned many “perfect” weeks there, and has used the techniques learned in our program on a daily basis.