FOCUS Program Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary
“We are more than just a service; we become a part of the family system.”
-Karmia Berry, Assistant Vice President FOCUS Program
The Foundling’s program for individuals with developmental disabilities offers many different resources and services for clients and their families in New York City and surrounding counties. Their newest program, Families Offering Care and Unconditional Support (FOCUS), recently celebrated their 1 year anniversary at The Foundling. FOCUS provides hands-on training for children and parents at home, and is designed to keep children at home and away from residence programs. FOCUS uses an approach to care that is evidence-based and built upon the Novel Interventions in Children’s Healthcare (NICH) Model. FOCUS reached 40 families in its first year and achieved the following outcomes:
- Reduced hospitalization of children by 94%.
- Placed youth with developmental disabilities in schools that were better equipped to meet their needs.
- Transitioned youth with developmental disabilities from home-schooling to a community-school setting, giving them more opportunities and resources to learn and grow.
- Encouraged kids who were not attending school to return to the classroom.
Shown above are staff members from the Foundling’s Developmental Disabilities Program.
“We plan to reach more families in 2016 and look forward to telling more people in the community about the benefits of FOCUS,” said Karmia Berry, assistant vice president of The Foundling’s program for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Foundling offers more than 20 unique, innovative and evidence-based programs.To learn more about these programs click here.
