135 Years From KidsPeace

1882 – William Thurston founds The Thurston Home for Children in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

 

1886 – The orphanage is incorporated as The Children’s Home of South Bethlehem.

 

1895 – Captain James Wiley donates enough money to build a new, larger home on Broadway in Bethlehem, (PA). The new home is dedicated The Annie Wiley Children’s Home in honor of the captain’s late wife.

 

1926 – The name is changed to The Children’s Home of Bethlehem and Allentown.

 

1930 – The organization shifts focus from orphanage to foster care services, to deal with growing numbers of children in need during the Great Depression.

 

1943 – The Children’s Home of Bethlehem and Allentown becomes known as Wiley House.

 

1948 – The Wiley House Ladies’ Auxiliary is formed.

 

1958 – Inspired by a children’s rights conference in Washington, DC, Wiley House sta hire a case worker and revise intake policies, laying the foundation for today’s treatment programs.

 

1961 – Children’s mental health services become the primary focus of Wiley House services.

 

1974 – The 79-year-old Wiley House structure is demolished, clearing the way for the new Child Development Center and several residential “cottages.”

1977 – As an alternative to institutionalization, Wiley House o ers its first day treatment programs.

 

1979 – Wiley House adds therapeutic foster care services as the Intensive Treatment Family (ITF) program opens its first o ices in Bethlehem, (PA).

 

1982 – Wiley House celebrates 100 years of service to children in the Lehigh Valley.

 

1984 – Construction of the new, structurally innovative Child Development Therapeutic Recreation Center (CDTRC) begins at the Broadway Campus.

 

1987 – Wiley House schools are accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

 

1988 – The Berks County Advances Program, a day treatment program and school in Reading, Pennsylvania, is added to the Wiley House continuum.

 

1991 – Wiley House opens a residential treatment campus on Graham Lake in Ellsworth, Maine. Wiley House unveils a plan for a new, state-of-the-art campus nestled on more than 255 acres of apple orchards in the rolling hills of Orefield, Pennsylvania. Residential treatment services come to the new Orchard Hills Campus when Patriot Center opens. Foster care (ITF) opens its first Indiana site.

 

1992 – To clearly convey the mission of the growing organization, the name is o icially changed to KidsPeace®. Inventor Center added to Orchard Hills Campus residential treatment.

1993 – KidsPeace Hospital® opens on the Orchard Hills Campus, o ering acute inpatient services for children who require a deeper level of care. Pioneer Center added to Orchard Hills Campus residential treatment. Foster care (ITF) opens its first New York office.

 

1998 – KidsPeace enters the field of clinical treatment within a juvenile justice setting as Mesabi Academy opens in Buhl, Minnesota. TeenCentral®.Net, an innovative, interactive Web site for teens, is launched. The KidsPeace Auxiliary commemorates 50 years of service to KidsPeace.

 

1999-2001 – KidsPeace opens additional foster care (ITF) offices in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Maine.

 

2001 – KidsPeace founds the KidsPeace InstituteTM. Its mission: to provide research, education, and training opportunities for those who work with our nation’s kids. The Donley Therapeutic Education Center opens on the Orchard Hills Campus.

 

2002 – Intensive Treatment Family (ITF) program officially changes its name to Foster Care and Family Services (FCFS).

 

2004 – KidsPeace opens a new, state-of-the-art residential treatment facility in Bowdon, GA.

 

2006 – KidsPeace begins programming for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Bethlehem (PA) and at the Graham Lake Campus (ME).

 

2008 – Sanctuary Model implemented FCFS changes its name to Foster Care and Community Programs (FCCP).

2010 – The KidsPeace Family Center opens at the Broadway Campus in Bethlehem.

 

2011 – ParentCentral.Net website is launched. KidsPeace partners with Duke University and Penn State University to research and develop the Together Facing the Challenge training and treatment curriculum.

 

2012 – KidsPeace Hospital expands to 96 beds.

 

2013 – Outpatient Services o ices open in Allentown and Tobyhanna, PA, and include free walk-in assessments among services. Orchard Behavioral Health (programming for adult clients) begins.

 

2014 – East Millinocket (ME) day treatment/special purpose school opens.

 

2015 – KidsPeace Hospital expanded to 120 beds. Outpatient services begin at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown (PA). KidsPeace MileStones day treatment/special purpose school opens on Graham Lake Campus in Maine

 

2016 – Greenbush (ME) day treatment/special purpose school opens.

 

2017 – TeenCentral redesigned and relaunched with expanded content and support tools. KidsPeace celebrates its 135th Anniversary, and adopts a new mission statement: “To bring hope, help and healing to children, adults and those who love them.”