Wood's Homes Programs: Specialized Learning Centres

George Wood Learning Centre

William Taylor Learning Centre

Our Lady of Lourdes

The intent of the Treatment and Learning Resources Program is to combine treatment and educational alternatives for young people, their families, and caregivers.

If we don't get help, our family is going to fall apart. But, we need help here, at home, not in another community. Our kids need to stay in school and we can't afford time off work. What will this do to our lives?

The youth and their caregivers who seek our support have all had previous unsuccessful school experiences and have lost or are at risk of losing their community school placement. The program is designed to reconnect young people and families with their communities.

The School Based Treatment and Learning Resources program serves male and female youth 11 - 18 years of age and their families/care givers/guardians.

These young people present with at risk behaviours related to mental, physical, and sexual abuse, experiences as young offenders, and victims of family violence. They may be suffering from depression and other psycho-social disorders which place them at risk of suicide or self harming behaviours, demonstrate physically and sexually aggressive behaviours which place themselves and their communities at risk, are at risk of drug and alcohol addictions, have difficulties relating to peer groups and struggle with family attachment, and often display behaviours ranging from severe acting out to passive resistance.

Many young people have experienced family conflict and family breakdown. These presenting multi-problem issues create severe difficulties for the young people to remain in community school settings. All students that participate in any of the Wood's Home's School Based Treatment and Learning Resources Programs are given a code 42 designation; Severe Disability Designation-Behavior by both the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic Separate School District. This designation is directly related to qualification for funding by Alberta Learning.

The Learning Centres offer opportunities for achieving academic, social, and emotional success to young people and families who have had previous unsuccessful school experiences. An ecological treatment approach works with the whole youth in the context of their family, school, and community to enhance individual and family competencies and to reconnect them to their community. Program goals focus on creating an environment that encourages young people to learn through capacity building in the areas of academics, increased wellness, a strengthened sense of citizenship, and connection between and among peers, family, school, and community.