RESIDENTIAL LIFE

We encourage the boys and girls in our care to discover their interests, develop their curiosities and understand their past. The Children's Home has created a warm, caring and understanding environment for this encouragement to happen.

At our recognized residential treatment home, we specialize in children who are victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment, ages 5 to 17 who are part of a sibling group.

Through the generosity of committed supporters, we are able to provide counseling, balanced and nutritional meals, clothing and enrichment activities in a clean, nurturing environment.  Boys and girls remain with us until a permanent adoption or foster care family is identified.

COUNSELING
Through intensive counseling and therapy, our boys and girls learn to cope with their past. Our professional and compassionate therapists work individually with children, and when appropriate, parents.  A tailored care plan is developed for each child to deal with his or her specific circumstances.  The care plan focuses on therapy for emotional and mental healing; activities for physical and relationship building; and education to address learning challenges and prepare them for age-appropriate schooling.

LIFE-LONG FRIENDSHIPS AND INDIVIDUALIZED CARE
Each child is partnered with a caregiver, called a "primary," who becomes a surrogate parent. Children begin to learn how to trust adults, cope in a family setting, and understand the appropriate parent-child relationship. The professional and caring staff provides the parental nurturing and support they were deprived of for years. After living with other boys and girls, the children often form life-long friendships with each other. This bond helps children cope with their day-to-day struggles.

RECREATION AND ACTIVITIES
Located on 90 acres in the Town and Country area, the campus is filled with fun and interactive activities for the kids to enjoy. We have a fully equipped recreation center with a basketball court, a junior Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis court, soccer field, library, chapel, vocational education center, and playground. Through our campus recreation and activities department, each child is encouraged to participate in a variety of activities to develop team-building skills and encourage physical fitness. And, our spiritual life program also encourages children to develop their belief system.

It is our goal to involve our residential children in community-wide activities.  Whether they are interested in piano, sports, arts and crafts, or science, we allow them to explore their passion.  Some of the children are involved with community baseball teams, civic clubs, children’s groups, and much more.

EDUCATION AND LEARNING
The Children's Home transferred 25 acres of property from our main campus to the Hillsborough County School Board.  In exchange for this property, the new Helen Ayala Davis Elementary School has a wing exclusively dedicated to our boys and girls to replace our previous campus school, Parkhill.  Nearly two-thirds of the kids on campus will attend this specialized school.  Because our children have not attended school regularly, this specialized curriculum helps them began to understand the importance of education. 

This specialized educational program is operated by Hillsborough County Schools and is the catalyst for giving our children the opportunity to succeed through education. The curriculum allows children to learn at their own pace and provides more opportunity for teachers to give more attentive, hands-on learning.  At the Helen Ayala Davis Elementary School, all of our kids will have the enjoyment of attending school off campus with their community peers!