For over 65 years, Wediko
Children's Services has been committed to the development of effective clinical
and educational services to meet the compelling needs of at-risk children
and their families. From the early years, Wediko has recognized the
complexity and resistance to change inherent in the interplay of multiple
emotional, behavioral, academic, social and economic problems. Wediko
has spent more than half a century persevering in its efforts to develop
services that are responsive and sensitive to the needs and life circumstances
of children and their families.
Wediko established its Boston School-Based Program 20 years ago to provide school and community-based clinical services to children and families in the greater Boston area. Deeply rooted in the tradition of intensive residential treatment, the Boston School-based program has worked long and hard to develop a comprehensive menu of intervention strategies which are ambitious yet pragmatic. Close collaboration with school personnel, in addition to the child, the family, and key community resources, has been the hallmark of this program. During the 1999-2000 academic year, Wediko provided clinical services to over 600 families whose children attend the Boston, Medford, and Chelsea Public Schools. Wediko also provided clinical services to other school systems in New England through a collaboration with COMPASS.
In 1998, the Boston Public Schools awarded Wediko a contract to run a summer school program for a group of students who had historically had difficulty maintaining academic and behavioral gains over the summer break. During the summer of 2000, 90 students attended the project-based summer day program in Boston. Recently, Wediko entered an alliance with the Boston Fire Department and the Massachusetts State-Wide Coalition for Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Programs. Since the summer of 2000, Wediko staff have provided intensive short-term group and family therapy services to youth who have not only exhibited fire-setting behavior but who also have a history of psychosocial problems. Clinical intervention services have the goal of interrupting dangerous behavior patterns while activating community-based supports for the adolescent and the family.
With the school as the focal point, Wediko's Boston School-Based Program has established itself as a rare resource for bringing together the essential adults in a child's life. Wediko staff bring a multi-disciplinary perspective together with unusual experience and expertise directly into the public schools, guaranteeing a level of accessibility and continuity which is seldom available for either children or families. For children of color or children whose families have few economic resources, issues of access and continuity-of-care are critically important to their ability and willingness to use clinical services. Too often, the neediest children, families, and schools have limited access to experienced clinicians. Wediko's professional staff bring a high level of hands on experience, clinical expertise, respect for diversity, and long-term commitment to the mission of providing comprehensive clinical services to high-risk children, adolescents, and their families.
CASASTART: A collaboration among Boston Public Schools, Boston Police Department, and Wediko Children’s Services. Facilitating change in the lives of underserved youth and families through learning opportunities, family fun, and community connections.
With funding from the Massachusetts legislature, Wediko is excited to partner with the Tynan and Perkins Elementary Schools and the Boston Police Department to provide comprehensive intervention and prevention services through a new program called CASASTART.
The goal of CASASTART is to address the specific needs of all of the children and families in the program in order to enhance their ability to cope with the numerous social, environmental, and academic challenges. The services include:
For more information, contact Diana Parad, Monica Bies, or Doug Delaney at 617-292-9200.