LOS ANGELES, August 22, 2019 – Hillsides Education Center (HEC), a K-12 nationally accredited therapeutic non-public residential and day school, has begun the new school year with an emphasis on Trauma-Informed Care (TIC).
TIC recognizes the widespread impact of trauma, integrates knowledge of trauma into treatment, and promotes the healing of families, children, and communities. All HEC staff have been trained in TIC, and Hillsides has been designated a Trauma-Informed Care Agency by the National Council for Behavioral Health.
“Following TIC principles is our guiding philosophy,” said HEC director Allie Jennings. “While TIC looks different for every child, at its heart, it is about listening to the student, staying calm in a crisis, having a compassionate approach to behavior, and developing a long-term plan that will help a student move forward.”
HEC, founded 37 years ago, is located on a sprawling 17-acre campus in the San Rafael area of Pasadena. This school year, students will be able to enjoy the just-completed $18.2 million campus improvement project that has been under construction for three years. The centerpiece of the new campus is the 34,000-square-foot Margie & Robert E. Petersen Student Center that houses a state-of-the-art kitchen, demonstration kitchen, spacious dining commons, art studio, music room, recording studio, game room, and gym. Also included in the multi-million campus remodel is a new pool, basketball courts, playing fields, and gardens.
At HEC, students can also take advantage of the Reading Rocks reading intervention program that targets students reading below grade level. Most students gain one to three years in reading ability and make significant behavioral progress.
HEC offers individualized education for students with social-emotional, learning, and/or behavioral challenges in first through 12th grade, annually serving 240 children and some 515 families. Students have access to a 1:4 teacher-to-student ratio, therapeutic interventions, and individual, group, and family counseling.
HEC enrolls students all year long. To learn more about HEC, please call 323-254-2274 or visit www.hillsideseducationcenter.org.
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Hillsides, with its affiliate Bienvenidos, is dedicated to healing children and young adults, strengthening families, and transforming communities through quality comprehensive services and advocacy. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the agency serves more than 17,200 children and families in Southern California throughout more than 40 sites, including school-based mental health offices in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Baldwin Park. Foster care and adoptions services are offered in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. To learn more about Hillsides, please visit www.Hillsides.org. Visit Hillsides on Facebook @hillsideschildren, on Twitter @Hillsides, or on Instagram @HillsidesPasadena.
CONTACT:
Alison Bell
626-390-1640
abell2@hillsides.org
