History
Wediko runs three distinct but complementary programs whose primary objective is to provide a flexible continuum of psychological and educational services to children with serious emotional and behavioral problems. Consistent with this central goal, each of the three programs was developed to meet specific needs identified for the most vulnerable children, their families, and their schools. Within each of the programs, Wediko is committed to a process of systematic internal review and renewal. Thus, Wediko often pilots programmatic options to expand the menu of interventions and offer a more comprehensive, cost-effective safety net of services.
Wediko Summer Program
The Wediko Summer Program was first conceived and implemented on a small scale in 1934 by Dr. Robert A. Young. The initial goal was to provide a “fresh air” experience for children from the city whose behavior negated other summer options. For the next five years, the program ran at any site available for rental in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts -- serving eight children each summer. The program was mothballed at the onset of World War II, but Dr. Young had recognized the potential for remarkable change in the intensive therapeutic milieu.
Wediko was re-organized in 1948 in Georgetown, Massachusetts, and 30 children attended in that comeback summer. Wediko moved to the present 450-acre campus in Windsor, New Hampshire, in 1954, expanding to serve seven groups of eight boys each for the entire 45-day summer program. From its inception, Wediko has offered a unique opportunity for children to receive intensive special education and clinical services, comparable to hospital-level care, in a non-stigmatizing outdoor setting.
Since the early 1970’s, under the direction of Dr. Leichtman and Dr. Parad, Wediko has continued to focus on at-risk children whose emotional and behavioral symptoms handicap their ability to learn in mainstream public school settings. Under the continued leadership of Dr. Parad, the Wediko Summer Program currently provides intensive residential treatment to approximately 120 boys and girls, ages 7 to 18. Wediko works closely with referring schools and each child’s family to maximize continuity of gains from the summer program to the school year. Family therapy and daily academic instruction are now integral components of the Summer Program.
School-Based Services
Established in 1980, School-Based Services (formally the Boston School-Based Program) brings individual, group, and family therapy to over 1000 children and families each week. The students who are referred have been identified as having special needs, and they present with serious academic, behavioral, and social-emotional problems. Therapists meet with students and their academic staff in the student’s school on a weekly basis. The collaborative model of service delivery includes a Wediko clinical consultant in each school who works with school personnel. Consultants are placed at Boston’s McKinley Schools (totally separate special needs schools), as well as in neighboring cities, and within other school districts in Massachusetts (Framingham and Martha’s Vineyard). Wediko also provides a similar model of consultation to schools in New Hampshire.
In 1997, Wediko was contracted by the McKinley Schools to run a specialized summer school program for the special needs students whose educational plan required an extended school year. As pressures have mounted for all students to meet higher academic expectations, the summer school program has grown to accommodate students at risk for academic failure. Wediko employs certified teachers, guidance counselors, therapists, paraprofessionals, and a psychiatrist to provide comprehensive summer services.
Wediko started Side By Side in the fall of 2003. Side By Side is a partnership between Wediko and schools, in which consultants and clinicians provide a continuum of clinical services. The emphasis of Side By Side has been on Social Skills Groups that are co-facilitated by Wediko clinicians and school staff. Side By Side is designed to establish climates where teachers and students can maximize time for teaching and learning, utilizing a flexible menu of services.
Wediko School
The Wediko School provides year-round residential treatment at the New Hampshire campus. Boys ages 6 to 21 who have experienced difficulties in home and school settings are referred to the program by their schools or by social service agencies. The program was started in 1990 in response to an identified need for a long-term program for troubled children in New Hampshire and across New England. In July 2001, the program was expanded from a ten-month to a twelve-month model.
Wediko has a fully-staffed school on-site that is accredited in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Illinois. Over the years, administrative staff have concentrated on developing new programming to better meet specific clinical and developmental needs.