• Licensed Provider for Boys and Girls Ages 5 through 17
Tomorrow's Children, Inc. is a Residential Care Center licensed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Children and Family Services. We work with boys and girls ages 5 through 17 with the mission of providing a safe, positive, caring, home-like, learning environment while teaching them to be successful in a community setting.
• Unique Ranch Homes Situated on 15 Acres in a Private Cul de Sac Established in 1973
The campus of Tomorrow's Children looks like a small subdivision in the country. We are approximately 2 miles west of Waupaca off of Highway 54. Across the street is the Chain of Lakes grade school and the recreation soccer fields. In our back yard is the famous Waupaca Chain of Lakes, a popular vacation spot.
The ranch style homes in our private subdivision create a home-like treatment environment. This setting allows us to see the same problem behaviors the child has had in his/her home. As a result, the child/adolescent learns appropriate behavior more quickly and this learning can be transferred to the community more efficiently.
• Specializing in Multiple Diagnoses/Mentally Ill Clientele with Severe Emotional Disturbance, Aggressive and Sexually Inappropriate Behaviors
Upon referral, case histories and past evaluations are reviewed. Often, a variety of diagnostic impressions are present. We review each case on an individual basis, and do not rule out admissions based on a diagnosis alone. Most frequent childhood disorders stimulating referral include: attention deficit, disruptive behavior disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, anxiety/depressive disorders, cognitive disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, sexual dysfunction disorders, along with less problematic adjustment disorders.
• Success Working with Children/Adolescents Experiencing Multiple Placement Failures
Throughout the years, we have been successful working with children and adolescents who have experienced repeated failures in a wide variety of settings. These children/adolescents will start being successful in areas that were problematic in the past. Very often, we are able to keep building on that success and open up a whole new world to them.
• On Grounds Education and Collaboration with Public Schools
• On Grounds Education with Highly Trained Special Education Staff
Our goal is to provide a safe, positive, caring, learning environment where the children/adolescents will start to be successful in school. By individualizing teaching to meet the social and academic needs of each student, we are able to turn what was once a very frustrating situation into a positive experience. Many students are able to make significant progress in both the social and academic areas of school.
We enjoy an excellent working relationship with the Waupaca Public School system. This relationship is extremely helpful when it is time to transition into public school while still maintaining the structured learning environment of residing at Tomorrow's Children.
We will also work closely with the public school in the child/adolescents' home community to make the transition into school successful.
• Intensive, Awake 24 Hour a Day Supervision
Safety of each child/adolescent is the most important responsibility of every employee at Tomorrow's Children. Staff are trained accordingly.
We maintain a minimum 1 to 4 staff/child ratio when the children are awake and a minimum 1 to 7 ratio during the 11pm – 7am time period.
• Centrally Located in Scenic Waupaca, Wisconsin
Tomorrow's Children is located approximately 2 miles west of Waupaca just off of Highway 54. Within a ½ hour radius are the Fox Valley and Stevens Point areas. Waupaca itself is well known for its Chain of Lakes and camping areas.
• Intensive Individualized Highly Structured Behavioral Programming
The program at Tomorrows Children is designed to admit each child for the shortest period of time possible. The concentration is on individual programs to teach the child what is expected when living in the community. These expectations range from behavioral expectations, to social expectations, to the development of personal relationships. The behavioral program development team has extensive experience in various areas of social services and in designing individual treatment programs.
• Individual, Group, and Family Therapy On Grounds, In Home and In the Community
• Parent Training and Program Development On Ground, In Home, and In the Community
Our programs are designed to promote learning of appropriate skills, constructive versus destructive discipline, and general awareness of each child/adolescent's special needs. The format and environment for each session varies and ranges from individual counseling, group discussion, and/or classroom exercises. Family attendance at each of the sessions will be assessed on an individual basis.
Our family therapy approach centers on factors within the family that contribute to the child/adolescent's need for placement. In most cases, we organize the referral material that describes individual and/or family therapy that took place before admittance. Often the records outline a long of history of outpatient or inpatient intervention. We try to isolate successful intervention strategies and design an individual family approach that can be carried out by our treatment team. Specific goals are developed within 30 days of admission.
We invite families to Tomorrow's Children to observe and participate in our daily routine. During this time, the child/adolescent's specific behavior training programs, reinforcement, and discipline are explained to them. We encourage the families to practice some of the skills and discipline techniques they learned. This enables our staff to assist when necessary and also to support their efforts during this learning process.
In order to allow maximum benefit from our training/therapy, Tomorrow's Children will be as flexible as possible with scheduling times and dates of experiences. We will also adjust our approaches and certain training situations to meet each family's needs. Formal presentations of family experiences in our programs and training process will be outlined at scheduled staffings.
A part of in-home training is to observe and identify family dynamics. Another goal is to incorporate current behavior programs into the child/adolescent's home. Our treatment team works with the family to make decisions about goals, outcomes, and appropriate problems solving. They also educate the family on additional community services that may be available to them.
• Daily Exercise and Physical Activities Program
Our children/adolescents usually have the history of having a very difficult time with physical education classes and playing appropriately in a neighborhood. The goal of our daily exercise and physical activities program is teaching them how to be successful behaviorally in these situations. The program is tailored to the individual needs of the child considering both behavior and physical condition, while increasing the child/adolescents self-esteem.
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The program at Tomorrow's Children is designed to admit each child for the shortest period of time possible. The reason for this is that a short length of stay dictates an intensive, well-constructed program as well as lessening the effects of separation between the child, the caretakers, and the community. During a child's stay, the overall program itself will be divided into four major categories; child behavior curriculum, education, community training, and family enrichment training.
Child Behavior Curriculum: The concentration here is on individual programs to teach the child what would be expected of him/her when living in the community. These expectations range from behavioral expectations, to social expectations, to the development of personal relationships. With 20+ years each, our Director of Social Services and Administrator have extensive knowledge and experience in developing individual treatment programs.
In order to make this curriculum more meaningful and special, a unit staff member is assigned to each child. This staff member (i.e. special staff) acts as a mentor for a particular client and is responsible for being keenly aware of any special needs that may arise. This staff member also organizes special outing times for his/her assigned client.
Education: The goal of the education training is to develop each child to his/her greatest potential. Each child is evaluated as to his/her individual abilities, then training proceeds according to this assessment. The training itself is through both group and individual instruction. The focus of the educational program is divided into four parts: A) prerequisite school behavior; B) language and/or communication training; C) academic training; D) leisure time. This entire curriculum is monitored and directed by our special education staff.
Community Training: The focus here is to teach each child, according to his/her ability, how to interact correctly in the community and the skills needed for community living. This may include shopping trips, picnics, community sponsored recreation, religious participation, personal relationships, leisure time skills, etc.
Family Enrichment: We believe that the family is extremely important to a child's well being and success at Tomorrow's Children. The focus is to teach the family or caretakers the necessary skills needed for the child to function appropriately in the home and community. This is done in two ways. First, we have developed a Parent Enrichment Manual which gives the parents an overview of our treatment mode. Secondly, scheduled times are set aside where the caretakers can work with their child at our facility or the home to practice skills they have learned. Also, family counseling sessions are integrated to assist the families with any interpersonal problems that may exist.
