A GUIDE TO THE PROGRAMS
OF VERMONT ACHIEVEMENT CENTER
Because when families thrive, communities succeed
 

PRIME FAMILY RESOURCES
Karin Bar-Zeev, Director
 
PRIME Family Resources offers a variety of community-based services and resources aimed at helping families and youth remain intact in the face of significant stress and crisis. PRIME offers the community trained practitioners in the areas of parenting, behavioral consultation, school advocacy, transitional services, and crisis interventions.

Truancy Intervention Project
This program developed through the Rutland County Juvenile Justice Team works with schools to identify youth at risk through the issue of truancy. The program provides a step-up of interventions at various levels of truancy that may include the family, school, DCF, and Family Court.

Family Support Services
Through a contract with DCF, Family Support Services supports foster and adoptive families to ensure placement stability. A proactive rather than a crisis-oriented program, FSS caseworkers are assigned DCF foster and adoptive families whom they continually support and train in response to the needs of the foster or adoptive child. FSS provides or coordinates whatever services or resources are necessary to the family to alleviate their stressors. This program helps to maintain stable placements for youth and continued healthy functioning for foster and adoptive families.

Parent Educator
PRIME offers a Parent Educator to the community through a contract with DCF. The Parent Educator is available to work with children in DCF custody who have been removed from the home or who are in imminent risk of removal by DCF. The goal of the Parent Educator program is reunification of the children with their families.

Youth Development Program
This program is run through DCF to provide guidance, mentoring and skill acquisition to adolescents aging out of DCF custody. The program includes housing assistance, mentored housing if appropriate, living skills training, and advocacy.

Vermont Coalition for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program
The Vermont Coalition for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program provides shelter family counseling and/or mediation, coordination and general case management to youth ages12 to 22 who are on their own or at risk of losing their 'home' for any reason. This program provides 24 hour, 7 days a week on-call services and short-term shelter placement. Shelter can be provided, if the client is willing, in the home of a family for up to 14 days. The goal of removal from a family situation is first and foremost for the safety of all family members. Coordination of relevant resources can be effected through the program. Reintegration of the family unit is the plan though this is not always a workable solution.

EARLY EDUCATION AND CARE
Diahn Johnson, Director
 
Early Education and Care brings together a mix of young children in an enriched, developmentally appropriate learning environment. First accredited in 1996 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), our early childhood program promotes independence, self-esteem and growth in the areas of motor skills, language development, play skills and social competency.
VAC currently enrolls approx. 120 children, from six weeks through 12 years of age in our early education and care program. It includes a pre-kindergarten curriculum, infant and toddler care, and a before and after-school enrichment program for school age children.

KALEDIOSCOPE SUMMER PROGRAM
Kerri Rappaport, Coordinator
 
The Kaleidoscope Summer Program is a five day a week, 10 week program for school aged youth. This is a high energy, activity based program where youth participate in multi-aged groups with emphasis on social interaction and physical activity. The children enrolled have choices daily from swimming to karate, arts, dance, and theatre to name a few. There are weekly field trips, and breakfast, lunch and a healthy snack are served. The program is led by professional teachers and child care staff, with college interns rounding out the staff. Vermont state subsidies are accepted, along with full and part time rates.

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
Michele Pfenning-Carter, Coordinator
 
VAC has established after-school Enrichment Programs at satellite locations through collaborations with elementary schools. VAC partners with Barstow Memorial School in Chittenden, Sherburne Elementary School in Killington, Stockbridge Elementary School, Poultney Elementary School and Castleton-Hubbardton Union School #42. Our multiage, five day a week Enrichment Programs offers school-age children an opportunity to develop social/emotional and academic skills in a safe and nurturing environment. In addition, our program at Sherburne Elementary School offers a preschool program (with a full-day option) for children three through five years of age.

MITCHELL THERAPY POOL
Kathy Corey, Director
 
The Mitchell Therapy Pool is an indoor, heated and specially equipped therapy pool for adults and children, and is the only therapy pool in central Vermont. With its warm waters and specialized ramps, the pool provides therapeutic swimming for children and adults with special needs. The pool also offers a diversified program of recreational swim lessons, instructional classes at all levels, birthday parties, and therapeutic activities.

SHELDON ACADEMY
Beth Merrill, Director
 
Sheldon Academy is a state-licensed co-educational, therapeutic day-treatment and special education program for children 6 to 18 years of age. Sheldon Academy’s mission is to create a safe, therapeutic learning community that fosters hope and supports a student’s social, emotional and academic growth for successful transition back to public school. The program has a team of professionals that include: special educators to implement individualized education plans (IEP), behavioral specialists who focus on improving student behaviors, a nurse who provides health care management, and licensed clinicians who counsel children and parents and address the most pressing needs that prevent students from being successful in public school.

SHELDON ACADEMY SUMMER PROGRAM
Rob Marsden, Co-Director  |  Dave Wiezalis, Co-Director
 
Sheldon Academy’s Summer Program offers children with significant emotional and behavioral challenges an opportunity to be outdoors having fun while learning appropriate social skills in a safe and therapeutic environment. The program focuses on the individual needs of the child and encourages them to make positive, healthy choices. This highly energetic program is based on projects and activities in which learning, problem-solving, and decision making are embedded. The six-week program runs June through August and is filled with field trips to state parks, fishing, hiking, canoeing, swimming, archery, basketball, arts and crafts and so much more.

COLLABORATION WITH HOWARD CENTER FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES — 77 PARK STREET

 
VAC collaborates with the Howard Center for Children and Families of Burlington on The Park Street Program, a comprehensive residential treatment and education program for adolescent males who have sexual offending behaviors between the ages of 12 and 17. A secure residence is located across from the main VAC campus. The Howard Center provides the residential and clinical components of the Park Street Program and VAC delivers the education through the Fay Honey Knopp Memorial School. A VAC nurse also provides health care management for the students. The Park Street Program began in 1992 to meet the needs of adolescent boys with sexual offending behaviors within Vermont, who at that time were sent out of state for treatment. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

CHILD CARE SUPPORT SERVICES OF RUTLAND COUNTY
Ann Hughes, Subsidy Specialist  |  Rosie Piontek, Resource Development  |  Mike Raymond, Referral Specialist
 
Child Care Support Services of Rutland County delivers training and support to registered home providers and licensed programs that care for young children, provides consumer educational literature and consultation to families in need of childcare, and determines eligibility for families to receive state financial assistance for childcare. The program is funded by a grant from the Child Development Division of the Agency of Human Services.

KID’S QUEST AT PICO
 
Vermont Achievement Center has partnered with Killington/Pico Ski Partners, Inc. to offer a new child care program, KID’S QUEST for children 3 months to 5 years of age. Located at Pico Ski Resort, KID’S QUEST is a fully licensed year round program that offers creative hands on learning, exploration, language development, indoor and outdoor play and socialization as well as an optional ski program. KID’S QUEST also offers a fully licensed adventure based summer camp for school age youth.

For more information about VAC’s KID’S QUEST program visit www.kidsquestatpico.org or to register your child, please call (802) 775-5100.