Kids Learn & Go Places At YFT's Summer Program

September 20, 2014

Youth For Tomorrow’s innovative Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT) Program held a very successful summer enrichment program for students from Prince William County, Fauquier County, Manassas City and Manassas Park.  During the school year, TDT Specialists are based in a school to work with specific students providing counseling and mentorship.  Students that Teachers and School Counselors identify as “at risk” are paired with a TDT Specialist who partners with school officials to help the student stay in school and succeed.

A self portrait! Kids decorated their outline with all the good things about themselves. What a beautiful heart!

As schools recess for the summer, these children are at great risk of relapsing into negative behavior and/or causing problems for public officials.  TDT’s summer program bridges this gap and provides continuity for these young people.  During the hot summer months, the TDT staff provided a supervised environment to over seventy children ages 4 through 18 who otherwise would have been “on the streets.”  Staff arranged and supervised weekly field trips to places like the Udvar-Hazy Center (Air and Space Museum) and Manassas’ Skate-N-Fun Zone.

“The TDT program allows these children to go places and experience things they would never have access to without the program,” said program Director Melodie Hogan, “but the program is much more than just baby-sitting.”  These children are enrolled in the TDT program because they have serious behavioral and emotional issues.  YFT’s Specialists continue the therapeutic interventions used during the school year to teach appropriate social skills and behaviors to these young people.

The eight-week summer program ended with the Annual End-of-Summer BBQ Picnic on the Bristow campus.  The students, their families and the staff enjoyed a wonderful day of family events, good food and awards to close out another successful year.

The three locations of the Summer Enrichment Program were Minnieville Elementary School, Loch Lomond Elementary School, and Manassas’ St. Thomas United Methodist.  The TDT program would like to give a special thanks to Principal Nathaniel Provencio of Minnieville and Principal Kimberly Werle of Loch Lomond without whose help this would not have been possible.

View more photos from the Summer Program BBQ