KidsPeace Corporation

In 2023, Kidspeace provided treatment to more than 7,100 clients across the Kidspeace continuum of care our offering of programming that is trauma-informed, evidence-based and supported by a commitment to clinical innovation.quality outcomes: Kidspeace conducts an annual outcomes survey to determine how well our programs are meeting the expectations of those we serve. In 2023, our "model of care" survey showed that showed that at least eight out of ten clients surveyed felt we had met or exceeded their expectations in each area of our care-giving philosophy:` transformation: 90% dignity: 88% safety: 87% relationships & belonging 82% empowerment: 80% character: 82%in addition, each of our program areas reported significant improvement among clients in terms of severity of symptoms such as anxiety, behavioral programs, depression, psychomotor excitation and withdrawal isolation.kidspeace residential programs: Kidspeace offers a wide range of residential treatment programs at its three residential campuses in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Maine. The programming at the campuses features trauma-informed evidence-based clinical approaches, applied behavior analysis (aba), recreational and creative therapies, life skill enrichment and education services.staffed by medical professionals, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists, therapists, and caring counselors, the programs help children heal while building confidence and competence to make healthy choices for brighter futures. These campuses strive to give the best to kids who have been through the worst, with world-class facilities including home-like living quarters, athletic fields, swimming pools, and state-of-the-art learning facilities. In 2023, Kidspeace residential programs served 558 kids from around the country. Kidspeace psychiatric hospital: this national resource, located in eastern Pennsylvania and convenient to new york, Washington, d.c. and philadelphia, helped 1,155 kids in 2023.the hospital is a private, not-for-profit facility dedicated to addressing the needs of youth who are experiencing several mental and behavioral health crises. It specializes in caring for children, pre-adolescents, adolescents and young adults through programs custom-designed to meet each patient's specific needs, from severe trauma and depression to emotional challenges prompted by autism or lower intellectual functioning. Patients in the hospital benefit from on-site school services, which ensure that children maintain academic progress while they work to overcome their challenges.kidspeace foster care: 893 children found help in 2023 through Kidspeace's 16 foster care offices. Our therapeutic foster care program is specifically designed for children who have endured or face trauma in their birth homes. Unlike traditional foster care programs, our programs recruit, intensively train and support foster families to respond to the special needs of our children. Foster families receive 24-hour, seven-day-a-week assistance from on-call professionals. Some locations are licensed to provide adoption services to children of all ages.educational services: children in emotional crisis, whether caused by trauma, problems in the family, or a personal issue, find it difficult to concentrate on learning. Kidspeace operates five licensed schools in three states to help keep youngsters on track in the single most important social and developmental area in their lives. The Kidspeace school system provides a complete education for children in our residential and hospital programs, from 1st through 12th grade. It guarantees all credits they would earn in a public or private school. Our school system professionals work closely with residential staff, parents, referral sources, and the child to ensure the most effective education and treatment possible. In 2023, Kidspeace schools again saw the vast majority of their students meet or exceed academic achievement standards in their respective states.community programs: wherever possible, Kidspeace seeks to keep children close to home and the people who love them as they receive care for their mental and behavioral health challenges. In 2023, Kidspeace community-based programs offered a wide range of services to more than 4,000 children and their families -- including outpatient, family-based, and in-home therapies, as well as partial-hospitalization programs to rebuild lives weakened by crises. The goal is to keep children and families healthy and safe in their homes, schools and communities. In some areas, Kidspeace professionals bring services to children and families in their own homes in an effort to help them learn, grow and stay together. Services include therapy, life- and parenting-skills training, problem solving, education and self-esteem building.kidspeace also partners with community organizations - like youth and family centers and government agencies - to provide parenting and life-skills training and family education. We also help link families to community resources such as food banks and libraries.prevention & public education: in addition to the direct help Kidspeace provides to thousands of youngsters each day, the nonprofit has invested considerable energy into helping the world's children avoid and overcome the common crises of growing up - a responsibility made even more important in the face of the coviid-19 pandemic. We offer a helping hand to kids in all 50 states and in dozens of countries around the globe, giving them hope and powerful tools to help them navigate stresses and live more fulfilling lives. These efforts include:- a strong presence on social media (facebook, twitter, instagram and linkedin) with information and tips on helping children handle problems and crises in their lives - teencentral.com, a free, anonymous web-based service where young people can talk about their issues and receive carefully crafted therapeutic support. - kidspeace.org, a resource for parents and professionals - blogs and podcasts focused on relaying expertise from professionals in the Kidspeace organization to a general public audience - Kidspeace institute, training professionals in the field of mental and behavioral health for children- healing magazine, a twice-a-year flagship publication, providing practical and clinical information and inspiration for parents, teachers, and children's professionals.2023: a year of challenges and opportunities "a crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind." (chinese proverb)in 2023 the Kidspeace organization faced an extraordinary challenge in terms of workforce shortages, but at the same time launched several groundbreaking extensions of its world-class treatment programs.the shortage of available personnel for our direct care programming has its roots in the covid-19 pandemic. In addition to prompting associates to leave for family or career considerations, the changing employment landscape post-pandemic unexpectedly put us into intense competition with organizations in other industries for individuals who traditionally chose to work in mental healthcare. Ironically, these workforce issues came as a new era of opportunity for mental health providers also was emerging from the pandemic. The experience of parents witnessing the impact of covid-related restrictions, lockdowns and isolation on their children led many to put aside the traditional stigma surrounding mental health and seek professional help for their family. The resulting increase in demand for services intersected with the workforce shortages to illustrate starkly the issues facing providers like kidspeace:faced with an historically severe workforce shortage, Kidspeace in 2023 mounted an aggressive campaign to attract and retain dedicated associates in its programs: increases to salaries/pay rates contract reimbursement rate hikes to reflect actual costs of delivery of services renewed focus on recruitment, through non-traditional approaches to outreach to potential candidates o target advertising for specific professionals like nurses, social workers, teachers.o focus on candidates working in unrelated fields who want to pivot and "make a difference in someone else's life"o accessibility to candidates through texting, meeting outside traditional business hourso recognize that candidates are "interviewing the interviewer" to assess their likely fit in the organizationo increased "referral bonuses" for current staff to recruit new associates retention: upgrading the "calculus of employment at Kidspeace" for younger workerso promote benefits that meet needs of younger workers tuition reimbursement, improved telehealth offering

Form 990, part iii, line 4a, description of program service: financial impact and help from partners and supporters:covid-19 brought a significant financial impact resulting from declining client counts, staff shortages due to quarantine and isolation, and unexpected infection-control facility costs. But federal coronavirus relief packages, along with state assistance, prevented large-scale layoffs. At the same time, payors like managed care organizations (mcos) worked with us on alternative payment strategies that helped ensure that our programs could continue to provide care to the populations they serve.our organization's ability to continue providing services was bolstered by the generosity of the community at large. An army of sewing enthusiasts delivered shipments of handmade reusable cloth face masks, and supporters provided meals for direct care staff in Georgia, Maine and Pennsylvania. Kids in Pennsylvania residential treatment received easter baskets courtesy of a lehigh valley candy company, and christmas gifts donated by members of the community. Targeted donations supported the free walk-in assessments offered at pa outpatient programs and the teencentral.com web based therapeutic support service which saw its traffic soar as youth kept from school and outside activities sought out support on their own. "heroes work here": early in the pandemic, a manager in Georgia had a banner made to remind Kidspeace associates how much they were appreciated. The banner read: "heroes work here and within weeks banners with that same message were displayed at all Kidspeace facilities. Direct-care staff across our programs used their creativity and commitment to overcome the barriers of infection control measures in serving the needs of clients, just as administrative staff overcame those barriers to support them all while coping personally with the very human fear and anxiety sparked by a global health crisis. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of its associates, Kidspeace was able to withstand the most destructive aspects of the pandemic to continue to fulfill our mission.