 Agency Services Brochure, contact us by phone toll free at (888) 287-1160 or locally at (716) 828-9631 or by e-mail. contact us toll-free at (888) 287-1160, or by email. |
Baker Victory Services (BVS) offers a wide-range of services for individuals with physical, developmental, and/or behavioral challenges. In addition, BVS includes programming which supplies a lifetime of care--from infancy to late adulthood. Programs are divided into the following divisions (click each to go directly to a division): Educational Services, Adoptive and Foster Care Services, Outpatient Services, Residential Services, Services for the Developmentally Disabled, Women's Services, The WAY Program, and Affiliate Organizations/Related Services.
***FOSTER FAMILIES NEEDED: Complete training, support, and reimbursement provided. If you like young people and enjoy being a parent, call Baker Victory Services for more information. Rachael Dudczak, 828-9553; Halli Lavner, 828-9497.
Educational Services
The Early Childhood Program provides early
intervention and services for children from birth through age
two, and preschool services for children ages three to five. Although
care is determined by each child's needs, it can include: speech/language
therapy, occupational/physical therapy, family education, and/or
special education. Services may be provided in the home, day care,
or preschool. Full- or half-day special education is offered in
an integrated setting. Therapies aim to treat delays early, allowing
youths to reach a level of skills appropriate to their age. A
key component to any treatment is family involvement. Parents
are instructed about their child's specific areas of delay, and
on the best ways to help. The Early Childhood Program's work is
centered around the "whole child," including both instruction
and play time. The focus is not just on academics, but on appropriate
ways to interact with others, solve problems, and resolve conflicts
with other children.
The Early Childhood Program
(ECP) was recently named a certified Tomatis Center, enabling
the organization to offer the Tomatis Method for young people
and adults with learning difficulties and developmental delays.
The Tomatis Method is a sound-based therapy that stimulates the
auditory system and reawakens the ear's natural ability to listen.
The Tomatis Method, developed by Alfred A. Tomatis over 50 years
ago, is a program of auditory stimulation that is used to help
individuals with disabilities including, but not limited to, Autism,
PDD, Asperger's Syndrome, Down's Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder,
Sensory Integration Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Developmentally
Delayed, Auditory Processing Problems, and Speech and Language
Difficulties. It is designed to re-pattern the stages of listening
development to build-up or reinforce weak or missing steps. Individuals
listen to filtered music through specially designed headphones
to retrain the muscles of the ear to be able to attend to the
sounds of speech while simultaneously tuning out background sounds.
This method can help both children and adults improve their ability
to listen and reach their true potential. Improvements in balance,
coordination, sensory integration, self-awareness, fine motor
skills, attention, eye contact, organizational skills, social
skills, and speech and communication are often seen as a result
of participation in a Tomatis Method listening program. We offer
therapeutic Tomatis sessions as well as a Tomatis classroom that
offers the program to individuals in one of our integrated preschool
classrooms. For more information, please contact our Certified
Tomatis Center located at our Early Childhood Program site (716-828-9560).
The students enrolled at Baker Hall School are made up of two groups: those who are a part of the Residential Programs at BVS and those who live at home, but continue their schooling within a more structured environment. Baker Hall School serves youths between the ages of 11 and 21 who may be experiencing emotional/behavioral challenges, are diagnosed with a mental illness, or have mild developmental delays. The school operates on a 10-month school year, but also offers a six-week summer program. Due to the needs of its students, Baker Hall School offers educational services in a setting which is highly structured (8:1:1 student-to-teacher-to-teacher's aide ratio). The school provides a departmentalized programs for students at a high-school level, but also caters to the needs of those in need of more assistance, offering self-contained classes.
Opened in 2002, Baker Academy is a unique school, comprised of 90 special education students, all of whom came from the City of Buffalo Schools. The school offers a very structured educational setting (6:1:1 students-to-teacher-to-teacher's aide ratio) to children and youths exper-iencing emotional/behav-ioral challenges. Each day, students, from kinder-garten age all the way to 12th grade, come from home to receive the special education pro-gramming that most were not getting in their school district due to their intensive needs. The basic principles of the school and its students are rooted in the "Circle of Courage" philosophy, a Native American belief system about the skills children need to become productive adults. Baker Academy staff instill in their charges confidence in the areas of Independence, Mastery, Generosity, and Belonging.
All students enrolled in educational programs at BVS receive related services as outlined in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Frequently recommended services include counseling, speech/language therapy, occupational, or physical therapy. In addition, all students have access to opportunities to express their individual talents through art, music, physical education, technology, foreign language, and home and career classes.
Adoptive
& Foster Care Services
Adoption
servng counseling,
parenting classes, infant CPR training, child abuse registry clearance,
notarization of documents, post-placement visits, referrals for
support services, and support groups. International adoption services
also include linkage to appropriate agencies, an immigration-approved
home study, assistance with the immigration process, and reports
to the country of origin.
Some children cannot live with their parents, due to the parents' inability to function in their role of caregivers, or because of the child's emotional or behavioral problems may preclude their living at home. BVS offers the best place for those children to be -- in a family, in the community, and in an environment where they can receive loving attention from parental figures. The agency's Foster Care program offers such an environment in the form of several loving local families, all of whom have met strict guidelines and completed a training program before being certified. Therapeutic Foster Care is also available for children with special needs.ices have been offered through the agency since 1906 when the Infant Home was first established. While we continue to assist couples interested in domestic adoptions, BVS has also developed an extensive international adoption program due to a decrease in the number of babies available for domestic adoptions. Both domestic and international adoption services include a comprehensive home-study and post-placement package by providing consultation and decision-maki
Outpatient Services
Individual, family, and group
counseling are available for children and adolescents (ages 5
to 19) at the Outpatient Counseling Center. The clinic,
which is certified by the New York State Office of Mental Health,
is designed to offer active treatment to seriously emotionally
disturbed children/adolescents. These services are geared for
families faced with communication difficulties, adolescent conflicts,
conduct/behavior issues, school-related difficulties, attention
deficit disorder, abuse, psychiatric disorders, anxiety disorders,
and grief issues. Psychiatric consultation, and medication evaluation/monitoring
are provided, as is assistance with school-related issues and
referral/linkage to the appropriate community services.
Families referred to the Preventive Services Program by the Erie County Office of Children & Families (OFS) may be ex-periencing difficulties related to parenting, interpersonal problems, educational issues, alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, community violence, or sexual abuse. The goal of the program is to preserve the family unit and avoid placement of a child outside of the home. This is accomplished through individual, family and group counseling, as well as psychological consultation. Trained staff members help families learn to cope with everyday stresses, and to build skills such as effective parenting, nutrition, budgeting/financial management, homemaking, health/hygiene, and medical care management. The program also provides referrals to appropriate community services, transportation, and therapeutic activity programs. Staff members help to identify problems and stabilize them -- and then step away -- allowing the members of the family unit to use what they have learned and begin to function properly on their own.
Featuring a school like very few in the area, the Day Treatment Program reaches out to young people who are having difficulty succeeding in a conventional school system due to their disruptive behavior. The program's male and female students (between the ages of five and 21) have been identified as having mental and/or emotional disorders which inhibit their ability (and the ability of those around them) to learn. These disorders range from severe behavioral and emotional problems such as uncontrollable anger or defiant behavior to psychiatric diagnoses such as paranoia or schizophrenia. The Day Treatment Program's students live at home, but require clinical services in a full-day, year-round educational setting. With highly trained staff pro-viding structure and a caring atmosphere, students learn to control their anger, make better decisions, and deal with their feelings in a more appropriate and responsible manner.
Residential
Services
Residential
Treatment Facilities
are the primary inpatient services provided through the New York
State Office of Mental Health (OMH). The program operates around
the clock and provides a specialized, extended therapeutic environment
for males and females, ages 12 to 21, whose treatment needs are
so great that they must be placed outside the home. These residents
are treated by a multi-disciplinary team comprised of psychiatrists,
psychologists, social workers, recreational therapists, nurses,
school personnel and administrators, for problems due to interpersonal,
emotional, psychiatric, social, family or educational issues.
The
Special Services Program offers a stable and safe living
environment for hard-to-place youth. Program staff members and
therapists assist boys (ages 12-17) work toward a more socially
appropriate level of functioning. This includes improving decision-making
skills, anger management, and family/peer relationships. In order
to be referred to the program, residents must have been rejected
from placement by several other child care agencies due to their
serious emotional and behavioral problems, which include acting
out (onto others) their childhood experiences of physical and/or
psychological abuse with great intensity.
The Institutional Program provides a stable, structured environment for adolescent boys. The main focus of the program is to help the residents improve internal levels of control, learn respect for others, and to increase social problem solving and decision making skills. The program consists of living units of up to 12 adolescents in each. The residents attend Baker Hall School during the daytime, and often serve as volunteers at a number of local social service organizations.
The Group Homes provide a treatment setting located within neighborhood communities for male and female adolescents that require a greater degree of service than that provided by a foster family home. Helping residents increase independence and social skills is a primary focus, and of great importance in the transition between the program and a return to family or independent living.
Services for the Developmentally
Disabled (OMRDD Program)
Residential services
with medical, therapeutic, educational, and recreational supports
are provided to individuals, from birth through adulthood, who
have multiple disabilities and/or specialized medical needs. A
primary diagnosis may include mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
neurological impairment, epilepsy, or autism, and may be complicated
by orthopedic problems, nutritional needs, respiratory difficulties,
or behavioral problems.
Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs) and Individualized Residential Alternatives (IRAs) are homes for individuals with such disabilities. Trained staff provide 24-hour care/supervision. Nursing, social work, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, psychological and speech services are offered. Individuals attend school/day programs and participate in community activities on a regular basis. In addition to the resident's clinical care, Foster Grandparents and volunteers interact with residents, building mutually beneficial relationships.
The Respite Program is designed to support families by providing temporary relief from the stress of caring for a family member with developmental disabilities at home. Respite may be scheduled for one night or for stays of up to two weeks. Beds are located within the program's ICFs.
Finding the right services and funding sources for a family member with developmental disabilities can be a confusing and time-consuming task. Service Coordinators are available to assist with the initial establishment of services and to provide ongoing support as individual needs change over time.
The Adaptive Equipment Lending Program provides an extensive inventory of adaptive equipment for lending to individuals with developmental disabilities who reside at home. This allows families to try out expensive pieces of equipment prior to purchasing them, or to borrow an item which their child may grow out of.
Women's
Services
The
Group Program provides a treatment setting for young adolescent
females needing a greater degree of service than what is offered
by foster family homes. The aim of the program is to help residents
increase their independence and social skills, with the intention
of returning to a family or independent living situation. The
Group Program is designed to meet the female adolescent's medical,
recreational, social, emotional, and educational needs. Located
in the city of Buffalo, the Nash Group Home has a capacity for
10 girls. Each attends a local high school or BVS' own Baker Hall
School, depending on educational needs. Trained staff members
are in the home and with the girls at all times, working with
them on any number of issues. In addition, the Group Program offers
help to pregnant adolescents. These girls live in the same homes
as their non-pregnant counterparts, while their specialized medical
care is overseen by a registered nurse. While involved with the
program, residents learn about their pregnancy, their develop-ing
baby, and how to best care for their infants, not only now, but
after they are born.
The Dorothy Miller Residence is a specialized group home that houses up to eight adolescent girls and their infants at one time. The aim of the program is to provide guidance, support, and practical skills training in a structured setting to assist in preparing each young mother for not only successful independent living, but for parenthood as well. The residents are involved in a wide variety of skill-building initiatives, including weekly parenting groups, mother-child developmental play sessions, and mother-child swimming activities. In addition, program participants receive hands-on instruction on child growth and development, infant massage, and mother-child bonding. While their mothers are in school or a vocational program, the infants remain in the group home, under the watchful eye of trained staff.
The WAY Program -
Work Appreciation for Youth 
The Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY) Program was designed to
help at-risk youths not only realize the value of education and
work, but develop the skills they need to get a job and keep that
job. WAY is a comprehensive, individualized program that offers
its participants a trained counselor for up to five years of care
after discharge as well as access to a number of helpful services
including: tutoring, job counseling, job readiness training, crisis
intervention, life skills workshops, and career exploration. A
program which has succeeded at several different sites throughout
New York State, the WAY Program offers at-risk youth a chance
at something they deserve - a positive future.
There are a number of worksites currently up and running, including:
Palm Paradise Store
and Café
-125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) - Hours of Operation:
Mon-Thurs 4:30-8:30
Offering everything from office supplies and gifts to snacks,
fresh burgers and subs.
LunchWAY - 790 Ridge Road (basement) - Hours
of Operation: Mon-Fri 11:30-1:00
Serving lunch daily with a large menu to choose from and daily
specials.
Horticulture -100 Martin Road - Hours of
Operation: Varies according to season
Our horticulture department has three large gardens producing
herbs and vegetables to be sold or used at the worksites.
In addition, this department has partnered with the Botanical
Gardens, allowing WAY employees to assist on special projects
in their gardens and greenhouses.
Raindrop Creations -100 Martin Road - Hours of
Operation: Varies according to inventory
This worksite is home to the handmade jewelry production team.
There are a variety of items made such as, earrings, bracelets,
and necklaces. The jewelry is available for purchase at
Palm Paradise Store.
Greetings from WAY -100 Martin Road - Hours of Operation: Tues &
Wed 3:00-5:00
WAY is now producing greeting cards for every occasion you can
think of. There are several racks of assorted cards throughout
the agency (such as, 790 reception and Palm Paradise).
Spice of Life - Baker Hall School (777 Ridge Road)
- Hours of Operation: Weekly
Several classes in the Main School have partnered with the WAY
program to produce packaged spice rubs for meat. These delicious
cooking aids are all available for sale at LunchWAY, Palm Paradise
Store, and Day Treatment Store.
Tutoring
The WAY program also provides tutoring for the students who either
attend at a Baker Hall School or who reside in our residential
facilities. We work with several highly qualified teachers
who strive to assist the students in mastering their areas of
study.
Affiliated Organizations
and Services
Offering a wide variety
of services to both the residents of Baker Victory Services and
the general community, the Baker Victory Dental Center
is a state-of-the-art complex that offers quality, convenient,
affordable and compassionate care to all of is patients. Dental
services include: cleanings, crowns, fillings, bridges, extractions,
dentures and root canals. Minor lab work and x-ray procedures
are handled on-site. Emergency visits are also accommodated. In
addition, specially trained staff with specialized equipment offer
dental care to patients with special needs. The Baker Victory
Dental Center accepts most forms of insurance, including Medicaid.
Financial arrangements can be made for those in need of assistance.
The FamilyPointe Evaluation Center is dedicated to the early identification of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are suspected of having delays or a condition which may affect their development. The center provides no-cost evaluations to families in areas such as speech, cognition, social, emotional, and/or motor development. FamilyPointe offers a multi-disciplinary team approach which identifies concern and follows up by offering parents information, support, and assistance in understanding their child's needs. Referrals are accepted through each county's Early Intervention program or a local school district's Committee on Preschool Special Education. Parents and/or physicians may contact Family Pointe directly for information.
The Baker Victory Training Institute provides comprehensive and entertaining training programs to school personnel, clinics, agencies, parents, and businesses on a wide variety of topics. Extremely successful training programs are available to parents or professionals in all areas of child development and child/adolescent issues. School training offers effective programming focusing on the care of angry and/or aggressive students. Clinical training includes programs on topics such as trauma response, lethality assessment and treatment, working with conduct-disordered children, and foster parent issues. In addition, business management courses are available on team building and diversity training. Specially skilled staff are available to provide consultation, training, and keynote addresses for any organization, school, or business.
Baker Victory Services and Every Person Influences Children (EPIC) have teamed up to create Ready, Set, Parent, a unique initiative designed to lend a helpful (and experienced) hand to new mothers. The goal of Ready, Set, Parent is to reduce high-risk situations and to create a more healthy environment for infants by educating new parents at a time when they need it most. In the four birthing hospitals of Erie County, Ready, Set, Parent! Coordinators visit new moms in their hospital rooms within 48 hours of the birth of their child. Parents are offered the opportunity to attend a Ready, Set, Parent! Newborn Parenting Class. These classes provide important information about newborn growth, development, and safety, as well as an introduction to the Ready, Set Parent! workshop series, featuring physician guest speakers, presenting information about infant sleep, feeding, wellness, and safety at select workshops in the series.
For more information, please visit: