Andrus' three campus-based treatment programs and award-winning Orchard School help children and families to feel
safe, manage potentially overwhelming emotions, understand and deal with loss, and build brighter futures. Children in our programs feel protected, valued, and appreciated, and families are
an integral part of the treatment team. Visitors to Andrus invariably remark on the atmosphere of serenity and hope conveyed by our beautiful setting and our caring and experienced staff.

The Residential Treatment Program
Sixty 5-14 year-old children with severe emotional problems reside in Andrus' comfortable Tudor-style cottages under the full-time guidance of trained and dedicated staff members. The main goal of our Residential Treatment Program is to help children and their families set and meet treatment goals that will enable them to live together upon completion of the program. Nearly 90% of our graduates fulfill the dream of rejoining a family; generations of alumni have gone on to lives of greater independence and stability.

The Day Treatment Program
Andrus' Day Treatment Program provides a valuable resource for families struggling to avoid outside placements for their children. Seventy eight youngsters - together with their families - take part in comprehensive educational, social and psychological services that help them to address the issues and behaviors that are disrupting their lives while continuing to live at home.

The Orchard School
Every child enrolled in Andrus' campus-based treatment programs attends our nationally acclaimed Orchard School. Located in a handsomely renovated dairy, on the sloping hill of a former apple orchard, the school communicates both the wholesomeness of an old-fashioned farm and the promise of new opportunities. The Orchard School has been three times designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation and affiliations provide us with credentials and awards.

Students at the Orchard School receive highly specialized instructional services. The staff-to-student ratio at the Orchard School is a maximum of 1:4 - assuring each child a wealth of tailored attention to help dispel years of frustration and failure. Using the Sanctuary model of treatment, where community is treatment, the Orchard School offers a welcoming environment in which children feel safe, address affective issues, acquire academic skills and anticipate a more hopeful future. We emphasize hands-on projects that encourage children to see themselves as capable and creative; and individualized computer-managed reading, writing and math instruction, permitting students to forge ahead or catch up, at their own pace, without feelings of stigma or difference.

Due to the growing research and awareness of how young brains develop, we have integrated neurodevelopmental psychology with classroom instruction and related service provision. Outcome assessment across our population is being used for program evaluations as well as improving service provision. The creation of a multidisciplinary Instructional Team has increased our ability to continuously assess student functioning.

Our program includes plenty of opportunities for artistic and athletic exploration and success - including an adventure-based counseling program, chorus, dance and the National Youth Program Using Minibikes (NYPUM).

The Diagnostic Center
Each year Andrus provides shelter, safety and a fresh start for a group of youngsters whose lives have been profoundly traumatized or endangered. The Diagnostic Center is an airy, sun-filled, safe haven in which a dozen 5-10 year-olds begin regaining trust in themselves, in adults, and in the world around them. Staff members offer these fragile children round-the-clock therapy, recreation, education and kindness – while developing appropriate permanent placement plans with their families and referring agencies.

Andrus Family Connection
The Andrus Family Connection is an interactive Internet forum that is devoted to providing the parents, grandparents, foster parents and other caregivers of special needs children with information, guidance and support. The section includes a monthly family focus on a specific topic, FAQ's, tips, and useful links. In addition, the site will also have a password protected page devoted to registered family caregivers whose children either attend the Andrus Orchard School and/or reside in one of our residential cottages. Ultimately, parents and caregivers will be able to go to that portion of the site and view artwork by their child, photographs, and more. Click here to visit the Andrus Family Connection.