Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Fresh Start

What is it?

Fresh Start is a collaboration between the Racine Unified School District and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-All Saints to create an alternative education site for children who have difficulties adapting to a traditional classroom setting. The site is a highly structured environment that includes age-appropriate classes, medication management, and psychological and occupational therapy. The curriculum, developed by a team of All Saints mental health professionals and school district personnel, emphasizes self-control and communication skills. It also offers the personal attention that students need to successfully re-enter traditional classrooms.

Who is it for?

Elementary school students with emotional, psychological, and/or behavioral difficulties.

Why do they do it?

The school district had a problem in its elementary schools. Students with emotional and behavioral challenges were draining their teachers’ time and attention – severely impacting the teachers’ abilities to instruct the remaining students. Also, the children with behavioral problems were not being provided with the guidance and structure they needed to address their emotional issues. The goal of Fresh Start is to reduce the child’s risk of long-term emotional difficulties and successfully transition him or her back into the traditional classroom.

Impact

Now in its 16th year of operation, Fresh Start admits a maximum of 14 patients/students (first through fifth grade) at any given time. Length of stay, which varies depending on the student’s individual needs, may be anywhere from three weeks to three months or longer. Graduation/discharge from Fresh Start occurs when the child is utilizing the positive coping skills, communication skills (using words instead of aggression), and social skills he or she has learned while in the program.

Contact: Carla Maedke, RN, BSN
Program Nurse
Telephone: 262-687-2630
E-mail: carla.maedke@wfhc.org