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BOYS TOWN YOUTH
Q. HOW OLD ARE THE CHILDREN IN YOUR RESIDENTIAL SERVICES PROGRAM? (top)
A. Children in the program are normally 10 to 18. However, Boys Town occasionally accepts younger children when they have older siblings in our program. Brothers may live together in a boys’ home, or sisters may live together in a girls’ home —one of the advantages of our family based care program.
Q. HOW DOES BOYS TOWN CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN IN ITS RESIDENTIAL HOMES? (top)
A. Today, married couples known as Family-Teachers live in each home and care for six to eight youth. They are the heart and soul of Boys Town, forming a warm, caring family with their youth as they guide and instruct them, seeing that their physical, spiritual, emotional and treatment needs are met. Family-Teachers are aided by Assistant Family-Teachers, youth care workers and Boys Town consultants.
Family-Teachers are highly trained and certified annually through an ongoing professional development and evaluation process. This certification ensures that the Family-Teachers are providing the best care possible to their “family.”
Q. DO FAMILY-TEACHERS HAVE OTHER JOBS? (top)
A. No. Counseling, teaching, loving and caring for six to eight troubled youngsters is a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week job in itself.
Q. WHAT METHODS ARE USED TO DECIDE WHICH CHILDREN WILL BE ACCEPTED IN BOYS TOWN PROGRAMS? (top)
A. Admission inquiries come from relatives, school officials, friends, clergy, juvenile courts and social welfare agencies. The Admissions Department (see contact information in the back of the booklet) screens all applicants to determine the program that would best serve the child based on problems and needs. A girl or boy must want to “get better” in order to be admitted. If a child does not want to come to Boys Town, there is no admission.
Q. WHY WOULD A CHILD NOT BE ADMITTED TO BOYS TOWN? (top)
A. A child who does not want to get help from Boys Town will not be admitted. In addition to age limitations, Boys Town assesses whether the girl or boy would be best served with a higher level of care or less restrictive environment than is provided by Boys Town. Boys Town is reluctant to admit children whose behavior makes them imminently dangerous to themselves or to others. Children in need of immediate hospitalization for drug and/or alcohol abuse or suicide ideation are usually referred to another organization that can better serve their needs.
Q. DO CHILDREN RUN AWAY FROM BOYS TOWN? (top)
A. Boys Town’s residential treatment programs help children face their problems without running. However, some children attempt to run away because they are angry, frustrated or want to avoid a difficult situation. Boys Town helps children learn more effective ways to deal with their problems.
Last year, there were fewer than five runaway occurrences per 100 youth in the Village of Boys Town. Of these, more than three-quarters returned within a short period of time. Boys Town youth care staff and the Boys Town Police Department seek and follow up on any information regarding runaway youths. The youths’ safety is Boys Town’s main concern.
Q. WHO ARE THE LEGAL GUARDIANS OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS? (top)
A. The parent or the court-appointed person or agency that placed the youth at Boys Town is the guardian. The courts, exercising their power, often directly place children at Boys Town.
Q. WHAT IS REQUIRED OF CHILDREN AT BOYS TOWN? (top)
A. Their first and most important task is to “get better” and regain positive self-control of their lives while encouraging their “sisters” and “brothers” to do the same. The children come to Boys Town with their lives out of control, and they put their lives in our hands. We teach them life skills, how to build healthy relationships, make better decisions and plan for the future.
In addition, each girl and boy learns and is responsible for tasks related to family living such as working in the yard, cleaning and caring for their rooms and the house, cooking meals, setting the table, cleaning up after meals, doing laundry, ironing, shopping and living within a budget. They also learn proper grooming and hygiene. Each home has a daily family meeting in which the children have a voice in deciding house rules and other topics related to their home.
Q. ARE THE CHILDREN GIVEN AN ALLOWANCE? CAN THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY AS THEY PLEASE? (top)
A. Boys Town children who do not have a paying job (the younger children) may earn an allowance if they meet all their weekly responsibilities. The size of the allowance fluctuates with age and other factors. Many of the older children hold jobs in the surrounding community, and others work at on-campus jobs. A child’s Family-Teachers decide if the child may earn an allowance or hold a job, and provide guidance in how that money is saved or spent.
Q. CAN THE CHILDREN HAVE PETS? (top)
A. Yes. With permission, many of the children can have small pets such as fish or hamsters. Also, many families on campus have dogs or cats as pets in the home. However, the youth cannot have their own dog or cat..
Q. ARE THE OLDER BOYS AND GIRLS ALLOWED TO HAVE CARS? (top)
A. No. Our seniors take a driver education course, but they are not allowed to have personal cars.
Q. WHAT TYPE OF EDUCATION DOES BOYS TOWN PROVIDE FOR ITS YOUTH? (top)
A. There are two schools on the Home Campus at the Village of Boys Town: Wegner Middle School for students through eighth grade, and Boys Town High School for students in ninth through 12th grades. Both schools are accredited by the State of Nebraska; the high school also is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Educators, Family-Teachers and Boys Town staff work hand-in-hand to identify and approach student needs and support their overall academic and personal goals. Boys Town places emphasis on improving the vocational readiness of students through a variety of classes including computer technology and career development. Students also may improve social and teamwork skills by participating in extra curricular activities.
Youth at other sites normally attend a specialized school with highly trained teachers who provide the same Boys Town treatment and care. However, some youth attend nearby public schools.
Q. DO ALL GIRLS AND BOYS RECEIVE RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION? (top)
A. Spiritual development is an essential part of the process to heal the wounds of abuse and neglect. Our policy on religion was best stated by Father Flanagan: "Every boy must learn to pray ... how he prays is up to him."
Children follow the religious affiliation of their parents or guardian. They attend services and receive instruction in that religious faith. Boys Town holds Protestant and Catholic services in the Village. Jewish youths attend services and receive religious instruction at a nearby synagogue. At Boys Town sites across America, youth attend local churches. The Village of Boys Town has a full-time religious staff that includes Catholic and Protestant chaplains.
Q. DO BOYS TOWN YOUTH HAVE A 10-MONTH SCHOOL YEAR? (top)
A. No. The youth at the Village of Boys Town go to school all year with half-days during the summer months. Youth at Boys Town sites follow the required schedule of the public school they attend. However, teaching is always taking place in the homes and activities of Boys Town youth.
Q. DO THE STUDENTS HAVE MENTORS TO HELP THEM EXCEL IN THEIR STUDIES? (top)
A. Yes. Each year, hundreds of HOSTS (Help One Student To Succeed) mentors at the Village of Boys Town tutor students in language arts and math at Wegner Middle School and in math at Boys Town High School. Recently, the mentors received a national HOSTS Quality Assurance Award for their “Exemplary HOSTS Structured Mentoring Program in Language Arts”. Along with the Village of Boys Town, the HOSTS program has been implemented at the Boys Town Louisiana and Texas sites. By working with caring mentors, students gain confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed.
The Reading is FAME® program at the Boys Town Reading Center on Home Campus helps students dramatically improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Students in this program typically gain two years of reading ability for each year of FAME instruction.
Q. WHAT DO THE GIRLS AND BOYS DO WHEN THEY ARE NOT IN SCHOOL? (top)
A. The girls and boys work, study, do household chores, practice sports, music or drama, or simply play. They have a structured schedule of activities every day. Each youth has a job or a place to be, and someone who cares enough to check on him or her. Some students at Home Campus participate in the summer work program. In this program, the girls and boys work with staff to hold a twice-weekly farmers market and tend to the landscaping and displays at the Village.
Q. HOW ARE THE MEDICAL NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN MET? (top)
A. As with any family, medical needs are met by local physicians, dentists and hospitals. Family-Teachers select a physician and dentist for the family from an approved list. In case of an emergency in the Village, the Boys Town rescue squad is a few short minutes from a major children’s hospital.
Q. DOES BOYS TOWN HAVE DRUG EDUCATION AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS FOR ITS YOUTH WHO HAVE A HISTORY OF ABUSING DRUGS AND ALCOHOL? (top)
A. Boys Town is not a drug or alcohol rehabilitation facility. Children with severe dependencies would be admitted to a local hospital or outpatient clinic. However, drug abuse education and prevention are built into the activities of each home. Family-Teachers receive special training in how to recognize and deal with drug and alcohol abuse in a family setting.
Some youth at the Village of Boys Town are required to complete a certified drug education class, “Living without Chemicals”, and to attend sobriety groups based on 12-step programs to help maintain their sobriety. At Boys Town sites across the country, Family-Teachers and Boys Town staff work with local resources to help youth maintain sobriety.
Q. DO GIRLS AND BOYS EVER COME "OFF-THE-STREETS?" (top)
A. Yes. Every year many “pilgrims” find their own way to Boys Town and ask to stay. Last year, eight youths came to the Village of Boys Town on their own. These youth are always welcomed, however, not all who journey to the Village will stay. Boys Town is instrumental in helping youth find an appropriate placement if it is determined that the child can best be helped elsewhere. Many of Boys Town’s Short-Term Residential Services facilities across the country also welcome children off the streets.
Q. WHAT ARE THE GENDER, RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOUTH SERVED BY DIRECT CHILD-CARE PROGRAMS? (top)
A. On average, girls make up about 50 percent of the youth served each year. About 62 percent of our boys and girls are minorities or non-Caucasian. At the Village of Boys Town, Neb., Catholic youth make up about 32 percent of the children served, with Protestant youth accounting for another 63 percent. The remaining girls and boys are Jewish or affiliated with other religions. All services are provided to girls and boys regardless of race, color, creed, gender, national origin, or inability to pay.
Q. HOW LONG DOES BOYS TOWN NORMALLY CARE FOR A GIRL OR BOY? (top)
A. On average, children stay about one and one-half years in a residential home or with a Boys Town foster family. At our short-term residential services across the country, youth stay an average of one month.
Q. WHO DECIDES WHEN A YOUTH IS READY TO LEAVE BOYS TOWN? (top)
A. The decision is a combined one involving Family-Teachers, Boys Town professionals, the agency or court that made the referral, the child, and the child’s parent(s) or legal guardian. In every case, the welfare of the girl or boy determines the decision. Children who successfully complete a specified treatment program return home, if it is deemed a safe and positive environment. If a girl or boy does not have a place to go, she or he may remain at Boys Town until high school graduation.
Q. DOES BOYS TOWN PROVIDE HELP TO ITS GRADUATES? (top)
A. Yes. Any girl or boy who desires to, and is qualified to continue her or his education after high school, has the opportunity to receive scholarship assistance. In addition to those who are college bound, other graduates join the armed forces or the work force. Still others are assisted with job placement and other services
There is an old saying here: “The boy (or girl) may leave the Home, but the Home never leaves the boy (or girl).” It’s still true. For many graduates, we are their family, and they are always welcome. Boys Town works with graduates through an after-care program. Alumni chapters also exist across the country.
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