With housing, transportation, and a comprehensive and coordinated program for children through our childcare center, mothers and kids alike can enjoy a support structure during their recuperation—with the eventual goal of becoming independent.
Therapy and Mentorship
Our kids and their moms have all been through a lot by the time they enter our red doors. Among school-aged homeless children, 47% suffer from anxiety, depression or withdrawal and 36% manifest delinquent or aggressive behavior. For a child living at Saint John’s, they’ve likely been enrolled in at least three different schools per grade level.
Children who’ve spent their lives in crisis or who’ve experienced homelessness need comprehensive and trauma-informed mental health services, which we lovingly provide at Saint John’s Program for Real Change.
To help them heal, grow and prepare for a bright future, all of our children participate in family therapy. Those who need it can also participate in individual therapy, as well as mentorship services aimed at addressing critical social and emotional needs.
Parenting Education and Support
Being a mother comes with a lot of responsibility. Because the majority of our clients became mothers in their teens, a lack of support and parenting skills is simply the norm for them. That’s why parenting education is at the core of the support we provide.
And as mothers progress through the program, additional child care assistance becomes available so they can commit fully to employment readiness and training.
Saint John’s Childcare Center
Our childcare center is designed to provide a nurturing and educational environment for children from birth through elementary school. The center is open during non-traditional hours, allowing us to support mothers and children during the times that they need us most.
Mothers can feel safe and secure leaving children in the hands of our caring and capable staff so that they can focus on themselves — be it through counseling, classes, employment training or another service. We aim to develop rich partnerships with parents and provide culturally responsive care to all children.
Children’s Development Program
Our on-site Children’s Development Program helps our little ones, 0-5 years old, learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. Children are placed in small, developmentally appropriate groups with primary caregivers trained to provide personalized care.
We have three separate classrooms to meet the individual needs of each age group, including a non-mobile infant room, toddler classroom and preschool program. The rooms are welcoming, safe and comfortable spaces for mothers and children to learn and grow.
During their time with us, we’ll work to prepare them for school across all four learning domains:
- Social-emotional development
- Language development
- Cognitive development
- Perceptual and motor development
Support for School-Age Children
For our children 6-18 years old, we provide social and school reintegration services, enrichment programs and after-school care as needed. We can also coordinate transportation, including bus service to and from the front door of our facility.
During the pandemic, when schools are closed or virtual learning is the best option for a child, Saint John’s has continued to support our kids with a structured learning environment and the technology and materials necessary to make virtual learning a reality.
Outdoor Play
Children need safe places to play outdoors, exercise and experience the natural world. Our kids love to climb, slide, ride tricycles and play basketball throughout the year. Thanks to the Kaboom! Project, Blue Diamond and 300 volunteers built both playgrounds on our campus in one Saturday!
We often create an “outdoor classroom” by bringing out books, setting up easel painting and playing on our sensory tables. Nutrition is a major part of our curriculum, and we use our garden to learn about planting and growing fresh food. Our older kids love doing arts and crafts and science experiments outdoors during school breaks.
We’ve had some serious games on our basketball court and have even hosted professional basketball players from the NBA!