LM Feb.2019

Teaching the ‘Whole Child’ Involves Community Support Systems at Peoria Public Schools Wraparound Center

By Mary Schaefer IASA Director of Communications & Marketing

The need to create a Wraparound Center that offers a one-stop shop for Peoria Public School students and area families to receive therapeutic support and access to community resources and intensive support services was reinforced for Derrick Booth last year. Booth, Peoria’s Director of Social and

“After court was over, I had a discussion with the probation officer about occupying space within the Wraparound Center,” Booth said. “Peoria Juvenile Probation now has two officers located in the Wraparound Center on a full-time basis. If a student needs to visit a probation officer they can do so here and access any required treatment classes here, and the parents can go to parenting classes here on the same day.” Located inside Trewyn School in Peoria, the Wraparound Center opened its doors in October 2018 to help residents in the most economically distressed 61605 zip code area of Peoria. The Wraparound Center is under the direction of Peoria Public Schools Office of Social continued...

Emotional Learning, attended a court hearing with a young 12-year-old student who had an issue with substance abuse. The problem that became clear at that hearing, Booth said, was the child’s mother

had no way to transport her child to court-required substance abuse classes nor get herself to family counseling classes as they were way across town. The services were available, but simply weren’t accessible to that family.

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