“Kids have the opportunity to learn new skills, make new connections, and work with caring adults.” — Keri Lopes
Success at Southeast Campus Almost all the way down Massachusetts Route 3, there’s a quiet tree-covered dirt road that opens up to what looks like a summer camp with its picturesque pond and dock. But it’s not a camp. It is a refuge for kids, The Home for Little Wanderers’ Southeast Campus — a residential therapeutic educational program for struggling kids.
The youth at Southeast Campus (SEC) are
some of the most vulnerable in state care. Most struggle with emotional, behavioral, or learning difficulties, past trauma, or have developmental delays. Caring for these kids and building up their skills takes special people and programs. Under new Program Director Keri Lopes and new Principal Chris Gusman, the program and the kids at SEC are thriving, with a total of 67 staffers supporting 26 kids. Periods of transition, or departure from routine, can trigger adverse behavior in many of the youth at SEC. Lopes and Gusman have worked to ensure consistency both in and out of the classroom. SEC’s on campus school has a small student-to-teacher ratio with 4 – 6 students per class. Program Director Lopes thought it was important to mirror that in the residences. So while the system requires one supervisor to oversee the campus on evenings and weekends, we now have a supervisor for each cabin, engaging the kids and rewarding appropriate behavior with popular, innovative programs.
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Keri Lopes, Director Southeast Campus