Childcare: JASP
Mission
The Mon Valley Juvenile After School Program (JASP) has been serving the Mon Valley for 11 years. The JASP operates Monday-Friday, 3-8 PM serving youth ages 8-18. These children are given the opportunity to expand their horizons through supervised skilled programs.
Its program mission is to work in collaboration with the Washington County Court of Common Please Juvenile Division, Washington County Children and Youth Services (CYS) and the School Districts in Washington County. JASP functions as an alternative to institutionalization and also serves displaced youth in need of continuous daily supervision, behavioral modification and remedial support.
Objectives
- Operate a diversified supervised program that addresses the physical, emotional, cultural, and educational needs of each youth.
- Reduce recidivism
- Address accountability and responsibility for one’s own behavior
- Retrieve, Retain and Rebuild youthful offenders
- Address peer mediation and conflict resolution
Program Goals
- Cause a diverse effect in the life of a youth
- Instill responsibility
- Develop positive attitude
- Develop problem solving and decision making skills
- Improve academic
- Rebuild family foundations
- Resolve these issues most prevalent that require peer mediation and conflict resolutions
- Develop team concepts and leadership skills
- Provide an opportunity for re-socialization and re-adjustment in society
- Ensure a better tomorrow via intervention and prevention
- Eliminate chemical dependency
- Reduce placement by 10%
- Restore communities
- Reach the ultimate goal, “CHANGE” and to accept nothing but “CHANGE”
Referral Criteria
- Youth ages 8-18 years old are referred by: the Juvenile Probation Office, children and Youth Services, Peer Jury, Magistrates, Police and/or Parents
- Youth seriously in need of structure, supervision, life skills training, self-esteem building, and tutorial resources
- Unsupervised youth categorized as a contributing factor to further delinquency risk
- Reinforcement response to violations of probation
- After care: A step-down phase in reintroduction of the youth from placement to the community service, reducing lengths of placement by an average of 2 months
Program Components
- Academic excellence (Aptitude vs. Attitude), via Intermediate Unit 1
- Develop reading/study skills deficiency through PSSA Coach Pre-testing (math & reading), Eye-Q, and other academic stimuli
- Life skills via food sanitation, food preparation, and general housekeeping
- Exploring the Arts: Performing, Creative and Culinary
- Continuing education prep: Computers, remedial reading and math, SAT, & GED
- Individual Counseling/Group Therapy: D & A counseling in-house and through contracted services
- Family-Parent/child communication skills and family counseling
- Job training-resume writing, interviewing, job searching, carpentry, cosmetology and horticulture
- Peer Mediation
- Conflict Resolution