Core Programs as Vehicles for Development
Our programs help to give children and their families what they need to succeed in life. They act as an early intervention, addressing family issues that arise when a member has been diagnosed with a chronic and or terminal illness. Many of the programs at GAL take on a therapeutic approach in helping children adapt to and cope with such life changes.
Children's Programs:
"Scholars 4 Life" - Our Scholarship program targets children whose families are going through medical crisis and hardship, offering childcare and preschool services on a need-based sliding scale.
"Yoga 4 Life" - Introduction to yoga and stretching, fitness as an early form of therapy for the body and soul.
"Earth 4 Life" - Recycling literacy, helping to care for our planet and acts as natures therapy for the planet.
"Art 4 Life" - Art, music and dance expands cultural enrichment and acts as therapy for the child's challenged environment.
"Health 4 Life" - Offered through Bee Well Kidz (http://www.beewellkidz.com/ ); a homeopathic support program using natural therapeutic techniques to address nutritional and psychological needs.
"Family 4 Life" - Includes a village approach to communication which supports life skills and group conversation.
"Life Therapy" - Encourages a family foundation within GAL acting as a second family base of support for children.
Family Programs
Date Night - A weekend/after-hours childcare service designed to help parents reunite with each other, which fosters a stronger family unit.
Group discussions - Parents come together to share and learn from each others experiences, with an emphasis on parenting practices and workshops for young parents, who are statistically more at risk for abuse and neglect of their children, particularly during a crisis situation.
Partners Support - GAL has developed a list of partners that support our families that offer free services on our Web site:
- The Wellness Spa - offers discounted fees for GAL families.
- The Wellness Community - Offers support and services including Yoga and Che-dong classes to GAL families.
- The Wellness Circle - A women's support program that meets bi-monthly, discussing women's issues within an understanding group setting.
Family Referral Network - for support in:
- Mental health resources
- Financial security
- Insurance literacy
- Homeopathic literacy
Making an Impact: What makes GAL's Programs Different
In addition to the unique features described above, the GAL program focuses on encouraging each child to grow and strive to their full potential in an inclusive environment. Certified child therapists ensure that the program also acts as an intervention for children going through family trauma. They use proven methods of identifying the exact issues a child may be developing after a family crisis.
We are proud of the curriculum at GAL?it is rich with the skill development needed by our children in order to thrive and move forward in today's competitive school/work environment. Each child is helped to feel that an everyday routine is still a normal part of their lives. Children coping with illness or loss in their family have a strong need for this type of setting.
Key to our program is the excellent referral network we have developed and continue to refine. We identify each family's particular needs based on the exact nature of the crisis, and match the family with referrals to resources that help them to navigate, including psychological counseling, insurance counseling, parenting skills, healthcare (including holistic and alternative healthcare), and more.
Through discussions with our clients, we have learned that our services and referrals have proven invaluable as they move through the family illness and the financial and mental struggles that are associated with it.
Get a Life… Life Support Program
Our newest initiative is a village approach to helping families with health issues. In a visionary effort to get help to these families as quickly as possible, we are identifying and organizing a network of local, currently-operating childcare and preschool providers that will open their heart, facility or home to at-risk children. As with families being served by our own current childcare facility, we put them in touch with all the family services required, whether that be help navigating the healthcare systems, insurance literacy, or therapy. These providers are trained by GAL in our philosophy to offer these services.
Key to this initiative is organizing a network of sponsors, such as hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies that financially sponsor the families and/or the programs they utilize.
