For a young boy called D, the world had long felt unstable and unpredictable.

With a significant trauma history and being separated from his siblings, D experienced repeated foster care placement disruptions – moving night-to-night or having nowhere to live more than 39 times, recalled Warren Sheridan Jr., EmberHope Connections vice president of permanency.

The instability followed him into school, where an Individualized Education Program (IEP) limited him to just two hours of school per day. At this point in his life, Sheridan said D was facing a path that could have been hard to return from.

That trajectory began to change when he enrolled in the Therapeutic Day Services Program, created through a partnership between EmberHope Connections and Mental Health America of South Central Kansas (MHASCK).

With structure, consistent one-on-one support, and trauma-informed care from a multidisciplinary team, D slowly began to heal.

Staff saw emotional shutdowns and aggressive behaviors decrease as his confidence and self-efficacy grew.

The program helped D transition into a trial foster care placement that became a long-term home. He was later reunited with a relative in Nebraska, where he is now safely reintegrated into his family.

Today, D attends school full-time, has earned a spot on the honor roll, and is no longer limited by a rigid IEP. Sheridan said D’s relative describes him as “a brand new kid.”

“Had it not been for the structured, empathetic intervention of the Therapeutic Day Services Program, D might not be the success story he is today,” Sheridan said. “By providing the right levels of support at the right time, D was empowered to heal, grow, and become the best version of himself.”

An Innovative Program

The Therapeutic Day Services Program is the first of its kind in Kansas, said Angela Watson, MHASCK chief operating officer.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday, it provides intensive wraparound support for up to 10 foster-care youth ages 5 to 18 who are at risk of being removed from their foster-care placements or school due to behavior.

“Founded on the principle of placement stability, the program offers a structured, clinical environment for youth who have experienced significant trauma and require higher levels of supervision and emotional regulation than traditional school or home settings may provide,” she said. “It’s the only program that is a therapeutic day program that incorporates education as well.”

Once admitted, the program maintains a strict no-eject-or-reject policy, ensuring youth remain in services even during disruptive behavior. Services address acute mental health needs and natural developmental opportunities, Watson said, which are often missed due to housing and educational instability.

Day program staff have seen just how important it is for these youth to have consistency and structure in their day.

“They are building relationships with the staff,” Watson said. “And the fact that they are not kicked out of this program – that they can have a higher behavior day, and they know that they can come back – it helps with that stability piece.”

Education is also integrated into the program in collaboration with McAdams Academy and a dedicated computer lab, where youth can earn credits and navigate the educational process.

The multidisciplinary team, she said, often provides two or three staff members per youth, helping youth remain regulated during study time and preventing the eject or reject cycle common in traditional classrooms.

During moments of escalation, youth can practice learned coping skills, visit a wellness room, or use a sensory room designed to help them de-escalate.

“Because staff work one-on-one with the youth to address and resolve disruptive behaviors as they occur, we are seeing these negative behaviors dissipate over time,” Sheridan said. “The youth are demonstrating greater levels of self-worth and self-efficacy, building the communication and decision-making skills necessary for long-term stability and resilience.”

Programmatic Outcomes and Opportunities

In its first year, with support from a Kansas Health Foundation grant, the program served 20 youth. Of those youth, 95 percent avoided admission to a psychiatric residential treatment facility – the highest level of care in the state.

“Instead of discharging youth when they experience a crisis, our staff work one-on-one with them to de-escalate the situation and build long-term emotional regulation,” Sheridan said. “By providing intensive daily support and a safe place to process trauma, we directly prevent the behavioral escalations that typically lead to placement disruptions.”

Although the program has been highly successful, Watson said it can be difficult to maintain youth enrollment, either because of transportation limitations or the inherent instability of shifting foster care placements. Additionally, replacing staff due to high turnover can be difficult because of the level of professional and trauma-informed experience needed to serve the program’s population.

Despite these challenges, Watson said the program has produced numerous success stories. One youth who previously had daily contact with law enforcement showed fewer escalated behaviors and agreed to attend therapy. Another stabilized enough to maintain employment and attend school daily. A third is transitioning to living independently. And D is thriving at full-time school and with family.

Watson said MHASCK and EmberHope would like to expand the program to serve an additional 10 foster youth per week, provided there is consistent attendance and continued community need.

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