What is the usual length of a child’s stay at Kemmerer Village? Is there a minimum or maximum length of stay?
The average length of stay for successful completion of the residential treatment program is
10 months. However, because each child and families needs, and circumstances, are different;
the length of a child’s stay is dependent upon his or her progress, and successfully completing
goals set out in his or her Individual Treatment Plan. We recommend a minimum stay of 3-6
months because it takes time to ensure that positive progress and change are not merely
superficial or temporary “adaptations” to the residential program environment. Our state
operating license does limit youth who are 19 years or older from being in placement in the
program. Otherwise, there is not a limit as to the length of a child’s stay at Kemmerer
Village. Our experience has been that if significant, sustained progress hasn’t been shown
after 18-24 months, then it is less likely continuing placement will produce any greater
benefits.
Certainly the severity and complexity of the issues requiring an out-of-home placement can
influence the length of stay. But ultimately, the level of participation by the child and family
is the biggest determining factor as to how long that will be.
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What clothing and personal items can or should my child bring?
Clothing - Children at Kemmerer Village are required to wear a “uniform” which consists of
khaki pants (shorts in the warmer months) and a collared, polo-style shirt (sweatshirt in
the cooler months). The solid color shirt corresponds to the child’s “Level Status” on any
given day, which is a part of our Level System. There are four different Levels, and
therefore four different colors of shirts. The “uniform” is provided at no added cost
to the parent. Uniforms are worn on-campus, with few exceptions. Clients wear their own
clothing when going off-campus for appointments and activities. We do have rules governing
what we consider appropriate personal clothing that the children must follow on the
occasions that they are not wearing the uniform. Prior to a child’s placement at Kemmerer
Village, we supply the parent a list of recommended and prohibited clothing. Laundry is
done twice a week.
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Personal Items – We do encourage clients to bring personal items to use for decorating
their room; however, we also do have a list of items that are restricted. For example,
we do not allow cell phones, personal computers or televisions to name a few. We also
provide a list of restricted personal items to the family, prior to the child’s placement.
Bed linens, blankets, towels are provided by Kemmerer Village, but these items can
brought from home as well.
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Personal hygiene Items – Kemmerer Village will supply all personal hygiene items for
your child. If your child has special allergies, skin or hair conditions that require
specific products, those products should be supplied by the parents. However, we do not
permit aerosol products, or alcohol based products on-campus. All personal hygiene
materials are kept in the child’s personal bin, locked in the Staff Office of their
cottage, and checked in and out for use as needed.
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How will placement at Kemmerer Village effect my child’s school credits?
Our on-grounds school is accredited and approved by the Illinois State Board of Education,
so credits earned while in placement should transfer back to the home school district. Our
educational staff will communicate with your child’s home district staff to clarify its
requirements to accepting specific course credits earned by your child while at Kemmerer
Village. In the case where admission or discharge from Kemmerer Village occurs part way
through a term, our educational staff will work with your child’s home school district to
determine how credits will be assigned for the incompleted term.
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What are your educational staff’s qualifications? How many students are there in a classroom?
Our six teachers have degrees that range from Bachelor’s to Master’s degrees and all have
Illinois State Board of Education certificates for special education in Behavior Disorders and
Learning Disabilities. Our eight teacher’s aides have Associate’s to Bachelor’s degrees and
and also have certification for Behavior Disorders and Learning Disabilities.
Student class size ranges between 5 – 10 students per teacher and teacher’s aide.
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How often can I visit or talk on the phone with my child? Can my child come home for visits while enrolled at Kemmerer Village?
Regular phone contact and family visits are crucial to the treatment process and a discharge
plan that leads to a successful return home. Consistent phone contact and visits are one of the
ways that the family shows active participation for the success of their child’s treatment plan
and program. Although a contact and visitation plan is tailored to fit each child’s and
family’s overall treatment plan, there are some basic guidelines that we follow:
Phone Contact: The number of phone calls a child may receive or place each day is
determined by their Level Status. Even at the lowest Level Status, your child can receive one
in-coming call per day. At the time of admission, we will ask you to provide us with a list of
persons, their relationship to your child, and their phone numbers. Your child will only be
allowed to receive and place phone calls to the persons on this list. The list may be added to
or revised by you, with a call to your child’s Primary Therapist.
Due to your child’s program schedule, the best hours for phone contact with your child is
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm on weekdays and 1:00 pm – 9:30 pm on weekends.
On-campus, Off-campus & Home Visits: At the time of your child’s admission we will
establish a mutually agreed upon Visit Plan with you, that details the frequency and types of
visits to occur during your child’s initial 1-3 months in placement. Consistency in following
an agreed upon Visit Plan is one of the single most important element of a successful
treatment outcome. Typically, during the initial 6-8 weeks in placement, we recommend
that the majority of visits are On-campus. We recommend this because it helps to support
your child’s adjustment (and in some cases, acceptance) to being in residential care. An
On-campus visit usually consists of 1-3 hours somewhere within our building and grounds.
As your child begins to demonstrate a willingness to work on treatment plan goals; and
prior visits have been generally positive, Off-Campus visits are a good test of the child’s
readiness for Home visits. An Off-Campus visit usually consists of picking up your child and
taking him or her for an outing in the community for 2-4 hours. Our staff can recommend
many places and activities that are available in the surrounding communities.
Home visits are typically overnight, for the weekend, or special holidays; and can be a good
opportunity for assessing how well your child’s progress in our program is transferring to
the home environment. The frequency and duration of Home visits should increase as your
child comes closer and closer to achieving the goals of his or her treatment plan.
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How many direct care staff work in my child’s cottage, and what hours do they work?
We have three overlapping shifts of Child Care Counselors (CCC) to provide round-the-clock
supervision. During daytime hours there is a ratio of one CCC for every three children in a
cottage, while during the afternoon/evening hours there is a ratio of one CCC for every two
children in the cottage. Overnight, there is one CCC staff for every five children in the
cottage. In addition, there are supervisory staff present each shift. As activities and
individual children’s circumstances dictate, we do increase the staff.
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How do you determine which cottage my child will live in?
Since our residential program does not have co-ed cottages, your child will reside in a same
gender cottage. We group cottage residents within the same 2-3 year age range, maturity
level and where possible, those with similar treatment issues.
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What medical services, for emergency and non-emergency conditions are provided?
Kemmerer Village employs a staff of three nurses to provide routine, non-emergency
medical care from 7:30 am – 9:00 pm Monday-Friday and 11:00 am – 9:00 pm on weekends.
An RN nurse is on-call for consultation to staff during the hours that a nurse is not scheduled
on-campus. The nursing staff maintains medical records on each child, including the child’s
medical history (before and during their stay at Kemmerer Village), and the details of any
medical treatment received. The nursing staff coordinates physician or specialist services that
are provided by health professionals in the community, or by the child’s family physician.
In the event of injury or illness, our nurses are in contact with the child’s family when a
treatment decision must be made.
We also have a licensed Medical Doctor serving as our medical consultant, who is on-campus
twice a week and on-call by telephone for consultation with our nursing staff.
Kemmerer Village utilizes community health care providers for physician and dental services,
unless the parent specifies otherwise. Depending upon proximity and circumstances, we will
transport a child to their family doctor/dentist, for appointments made by the parents.
Kemmerer Village is located 15 miles from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Taylorville, IL; 30 miles
from St. Mary’s and Decatur Memorial Hospitals in Decatur, IL; and 40 miles from St. John’s
and Memorial Hospitals in Springfield, IL.
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How will I be kept informed of my child’s progress and any significant events that occur?
Your child’s Primary Therapist will be the main residential contact for you regarding all
aspects of his or her program, progress and significant developments. At the minimum, you
should have a scheduled weekly phone call with the Primary Therapist for an update on your
child’s progress, and to discuss planning for visits, etc. You will be contacted immediately by
a Kemmerer Village staff person regarding any significant events that have occurred,
including: medical emergencies, injury or illness, incidents of noteworthy misbehavior. You
will also receive a copy of any reports or documentation of such events. Our educational staff
will provide you with regular school progress reports and grade cards, as they occur.
Formal Individual Treatment Plan (ITP) review meetings are scheduled every three months,
and your attendance and participation in these meetings is important. The Primary Therapist
will schedule these dates and times with you. The Primary Therapist and treatment team
members review your child’s ITP on a weekly basis, to make minor, as needed, adjustments
to the interventions staff are using to assist your child in meeting his or her ITP goals. If
there are significant developments in your child’s life or programming needs, a formal ITP
review will be scheduled and we will request your attendance or at least participation by
phone conferencing.
You will receive a copy of all Individual Treatment Plans, and revisions to them.
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Kemmerer Village is a Presbyterian supported agency, what religious activities are offered? Are all children required to participate?
Kemmerer Village has a part-time Chaplain who is on-campus three days a week. The
Chaplain conducts a Sunday worship service in the chapel, with a fellowship time in the
cafeteria. The Chaplain also conducts bible studies weekly and a choir class. Your child’s
participation in these activities is voluntary. If your child has off-campus privileges, they
may choose to attend a Sunday worship service at one of the community churches. If you
prefer your child to participate in a specific denominational or religious affiliation worship
service, other than those we provide, please discuss this with our Admissions Coordinator at
the time of placement. Providing that there is a place of worship of your preference within
reasonable proximity, we will provide opportunities for your child to attend.
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How is Kemmerer Village funded?
As a private, not-for-profit child welfare agency, about 80% of the residential program’s
budget is based on revenue from the services we provide. The remaining 20% is funded by
the generosity of individual donors and Church congregations.
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Is Kemmerer Village open year-round?
Yes. Although our business hours are formally 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, we have program and
support staff that work around the clock, 365 days a year. Admission to the residential
program is open and not restricted to specific times of the year.
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How is a child’s placement at Kemmerer Village funded?
Funding for residential placement can come from many different sources:
Illinois State Board of Education – children who have been classified as needing special
education services due to Behavioral Disorders, Emotional Disorders or Learning Disabilities
whose needs exceeds the available educational resources of their home school district.
Individual Care Grant – children who have had a history of Emotional and Behavior
Disorders that significantly impair their functioning may be eligible for this funding through
the Illinois Department of Human Services. The application process is typically initiated
with the Community Mental Health Center in your community.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services – children who have been removed
from the parental home and are unable to function within a family type setting (e.g. a
relative’s home, foster care).
Private Health Insurance – Kemmerer Village’s residential treatment program is an in
network provider for Consociate and Humana, Corp Health insurance companies. We are in
the application process with several other insurance companies as well. We are able to work
with most insurance companies as an out of network provider. We recommend you contact
your specific insurance benefits department to determine whether it provides coverage for
residential treatment.
Kemmerer Village Care Fund – through the generosity of donors, the Care Fund provides
financial aid to pay some of the costs of residential treatment to families that may not have
some of the other funding options listed here. Contact our Admissions Coordinator for more
information on eligibility and availability.
For more information or assistance with any of the above funding options please contact our Admissions Coordinator.
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What types of rewards and consequences are used in the program?
Our residential program uses a daily Level System as the main vehicle of giving a child
incentives or consequences based on his or her behavior and progress on treatment goals each
day. Most of our incentives and consequences involve the granting of specific privileges or
restriction of specific privileges dependent upon a child’s daily Level Status. For more
serious rules infractions or behaviors, a child will also be required to complete several
therapeutic based assignments (which are directly connected to the infraction or behavior)
before restrictions and privileges are restored.
At the time of admission, both you and your child will be given detailed packets of
information which cover program rules, the Level System, privileges and consequences used.
You may also contact our Admissions Coordinator for more information.
