Outcomes and Measures from 2012

We take great pride in the fact that KidsPeace has helped more than 200,000 children since 1882, modifying our levels of care and programs as situations require and always providing the most appropriate services to the children in our care. We work very hard to ensure that our programs are adapted and updated to meet the evolving needs of our children, families and communities. Our programs are always innovative and at the forefront of mental health issues. In 2012, KidsPeace served 10,557 clients, 7,413 of whom were new admissions. Our outcomes and measures for 2012 are summarized below. The entire Outcomes and Annual Report document can be downloaded by clicking the link below:

Outcomes 2013 (pdf)  

The KidsPeace mission is to give hope, help and healing to children, families and communities, and we work very hard to accomplish this in 10 states and the District of Columbia. We serve children at all levels of acuity from our one-of-a-kind Psychiatric Hospital, specialized care for boys with sexual issues, residential care for youth with Autism, KidsHope for youth with IQs of 50-70, residential programs, juvenile justice facilities, foster care and community programs offices and accredited schools. Through our large Continuum of Care, we are able to smoothly transition children through our various programs as they heal, maintaining consistent surroundings and program structures that allow continuing progress with minimal disruption or adjustment to new rules and environments. This past year we opened our innovative new Family Center, which provides an array of services to children and their families in one outpatient center. Our successes are well documented, and we are proud of our ability to reach children who  have been considered unreachable elsewhere. Indeed, our admissions statistics indicate that the majority of our clients have experienced an average of three to four placements before being referred to KidsPeace. We carefully measure and evaluate client outcomes, helping us successfully contribute to the long-term healing of the children we serve in all of our settings.

There were 7,413 new admissions to KidsPeace programs in 2012:

• 31.5% to Psychiatric Hospital
• 6% to Residential Programs
• 1.5% to Juvenile Justice Programs
• 11% to Foster Care
• 50% to Community Programs
• 32% were under 12 years old
• 54% were ages 12-17
• 29 states, the District of Columbia and Canada made referrals to KidsPeace.

Millions more were helped by KidsPeace Prevention, Information and Intervention Materials:

• More than 50,000 children’s professionals received 1,100 hours of training from the KidsPeace Institute
• 24,465 issue of Healing Magazine® distributed
• Millions of families celebrated National KidsDay®; www.kidsday.net
• www.kidspeace.org received 300,781 visitors in 2012
• More than 500,000 registered members on www.TeenCentral.Net®
• National coverage of KidsPeace included articles on topics such as teen bullying, self-esteem, teen pregnancy and mental health awareness. Our experts provided an abundance of information in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., shootings. 

KidsPeace helps in times of crisis
The KidsPeace Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) has been proactive in responding to crises and tragedies such as student suicides, fatal accidents or shootings. The team sets up a post in the school, church or community venue and offers free counseling to students and teachers to help them process the initial phase of the crisis. The team stays at the site as long as the school or group needs them and makes future contact if someone feels the need to talk further. 

Model of Care
The KidsPeace Model of Care contains the principles that form the foundation of our treatment and care of children, teens and families. The elements of this model are so important to us as an organization that we survey kids each year to determine if they believe that we are measuring up to our core beliefs. In 2012, the answers were very positive, with respondents indicating that we succeed in following these principles more than 84% of the time in all six categories. 

Academics
Education is crucial to all children’s development, and KidsPeace provides a variety of accredited educational opportunities to the children in our care. While at KidsPeace, more than 75% of Pennsylvania students improved in reading and 63% of Pennsylvania students improved in math.

Additionally, during the 2011/2012 school year, 97% of KidsPeace Foster Care school-eligible foster children completed the school year.

Kids stay better after KidsPeace
At KidsPeace, kids are taught skills to improve their school performance, they’re given guidance for changing their problem behaviors, and they are provided with training in independent living and job-acquisition skills. KidsPeace strives to give kids the confidence and skills they need to overcome crisis. Our kids’ success is our most important goal.

Our Juvenile Justice program provides six months of aftercare to many of the youth discharged from our Mesabi Academy facility. The success of our aftercare efforts can be seen in the fact that a very strong 83% did not have new adjudications in that time frame.

Kids thrive in KidsPeace Foster Care settings
With hundreds of children in foster care through KidsPeace at any given time, we focus on the degree of permanency our foster children achieve as a result of our program. We tracked 828 children who were discharged from one of our foster care programs during 2012, and we found that at least 53.2% went to equal or less restrictive settings.

KidsPeace staff are committed to helping kids get better
KidsPeace is extremely proud of the commitment and professionalism of our incredible staff who work extraordinarily hard to bring peace to the kids in our care. We provide frequent and ongoing training and educational opportunities to our staff to ensure that they have the most up-to-date tools and techniques to help our clients heal, and we offer respectful management and many opportunities for advancement to our dedicated staff. In an industry that traditionally experiences high turnover rates, we are unusually successful in retaining superior staff members. Indeed, in 2012, 27% of KidsPeace employees had worked here for 10 years or more. 

KidsPeace helps kids and families all around the world get better
The scope of KidsPeace’s services reaches far beyond the walls of our residential houses and foster homes. In our effort to help kids everywhere gain the confidence to overcome crisis, KidsPeace offers numerous parenting resources, a FREE magazine for children’s professionals, and dozens of training and continuing education opportunities throughout the year. KidsPeace also maintains an innovative Web site, TeenCentral.Net, focused specifically on providing help to teens in a safe, anonymous and welcoming environment. Sister site ParentCentral.Net provides the same level of advice and information for parents. 

National KidsDay® is a KidsPeace-created celebration of spending meaningful time with America’s children. The celebrations honor the inherent worth of children and bring families together in events across our nation annually on the first Sunday in August.

National Family Month ® is a congressionally recognized celebration created by KidsPeace to raise awareness and underscore the importance of family – kids, mothers, fathers, relatives and caregivers – and to encourage supporting one another. National Family Month, which runs from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day each year, provides an opportunity for families to share special time together; to develop or renew relationships; to identify or rediscover needs and to remind everyone of the importance of family involvement in raising healthy, confident kids for America’s future. KidsPeace works with individuals, grass-roots organizations and enlightened corporate partners to develop ideas and campaigns that reach Americans nationwide with information that builds stronger families. 

KidsPeace helps other professionals help kids get better
Helping kids in need requires continuing training, education and development for those who would endeavor to help. To that end, KidsPeace has taken on a proactive role: Under the auspices of a special division called the KidsPeace Institute, KidsPeace plays host to a variety of educational seminars, conferences and workshops, made available not only to KidsPeace staff, but to anyone who works with our nation’s children.

KidsPeace helps kids get better: A summary
KidsPeace is one of the nation’s oldest children’s charities and brings hope, help and healing to kids in crisis. For more than 130 years, our services have met kids at their point of greatest need. Today, our full range of services including hospital, residential, diagnostic, educational, community-based, foster care, adoption and juvenile justice helps kids and families heal and stay strong.

With multiple locations in 10 states and the District of Columbia, a nationally respected staff of experienced children’s professionals and a steadfast commitment to children’s well-being, KidsPeace continuously strives to improve our current programs and create new opportunities for kids in crisis to find healing.