Inside peek at St. Catherine's Center

While that was once true, St. Catherine's has evolved into a multi-service agency that focuses on the problems of child abuse and neglect, emotional disturbance, and homelessness.

"We haven't had babies here since the 1960s," said Helen Hayes, executive director of St. Catherine's Center. "People see where we were, but they need to begin to see where we are today. The people's needs in the community have changed. We constantly look at the needs and respond to that. Things are definitely changing."

Evolution

Those services are far more diverse than those offered when the agency was established in 1886. That year, several Daughters of Charity moved into the Schuyler Mansion in Albany with a group of orphaned children who had the measles. Once the measles outbreak had passed, the sisters stayed on, and a new program for young orphaned or abandoned children came into being. It remained at the mansion until 1914.

In 1914, the program moved to 40 North Main Avenue. At that time, the new facility was known as the Maternity Hospital and Infant Home of Albany. The complex included a home for the children and Brady Maternity Hospital.

Onward

Twenty years later, the agency name was changed to St. Catherine's Center for Children and it altered its focus to problems of child abuse and emotional disturbance.

Today, St. Catherine's Center occupies one floor of the building at 40 North Main; the rest of the building has been converted to the Diocesan Pastoral Center. The R. & E. May School, the agency's day treatment program, is located nearby at 30 North Main. The agency's residences are within walking distance, while the Marillac shelter for homeless families is on Washington Avenue Extension in Albany.

"We're very spread out," Ms. Hayes said. "We have nine locations."

Needs first

From the beige- and tan-colored walls to the space for crisis intervention, the school building and the staff are prepared to meet the needs of the children ages five through twelve.

"We seek to achieve a balance," said Dorothy McDonald, principal of the school. "We want an interesting environment but not over-stimulating."

For that reason, many of the classrooms have the lights off and have area rugs to reduce the visual and auditory stimulation.

Meeting needs

The school serves children with a variety of diagnoses, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, attention deficit disorder and other clinically significant emotional problems. According to Lisa Hoffman, school nurse, 80 to 90 percent of the school's students are on medication. Each day, nurses at the school administer 120 doses of medication.

"A large population of our students are on psychotropic meds," Ms. Hoffman said. "Our society doesn't accept that there are children with mental illness."

Learning environment

The classrooms are broken down into smaller learning centers. The building also includes a greenhouse where students grow plants from seeds, do science projects, and learn about the animal kingdom from Hosenfeffer, a rabbit that freely roams the greenhouse.

During the school day, students receive occupational, speech and language therapy as well as clinical services. There is also crisis intervention space, used by children when they are having a difficult time de-escalating a problem. The behavior a child in crisis might exhibit includes kicking, biting, destroying their desk or running away. The space is staffed by three full-time employees and includes private corrals where the children are able to calm themselves.

"The hope is that as they sit we can decrease the auditory and visual stimulation, and get their body under control," explained Ms. McDonald. "It's to help them move on and get back to class. It's not a time-out."

This space is important not only for the professional staff at the school, but for the students as well. Said Judy [name changed to protect her privacy], a 10-year-old at the school: "The May School really helps you out. When you're having a hard time, you get a break from the classroom -- other than going to the principal's office."

Achievements

Seeing children like Judy enjoy school is one measure of success. "I like the teachers and the staff and what they do to help me with goals in life," said Judy. One of her goals is to be able to go back to her public school.

"I like school," she said, "especially this one. My favorite lessons are science and math. The May School really helps you out. They try to help you in any way."

Some of the things Judy has learned include "learning how to handle stress, learning how to calm down and behave like a child," she said.

Residences

There are five homes for children who must be removed from their families in order to be safe but who did not succeed in St. Catherine's specialized foster care program. There are four group homes and a fifth house, known as a residence, which is for the most severe cases.

The homes that St. Catherine's Center occupies blend in with the other homes on the streets they are located. The difference is not in the structure of the building but in the lives being led inside.

Special place

But the rules of the house, posted in the dining room, indicate this isn't your typical American home. Anthony, a resident, listed the rules: "No hitting. No talking mean to staff. No destruction of property. No sexually touching staff or assaulting staff."

Ms. Hayes explained that the children in the residential programs are emotionally disturbed. "Some are organically disturbed from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or [pre-natal] drug use," she said. "But for the most part, they've been through severe trauma. According to the Department of Social Services, our program is not far removed from a children's psychiatric hospital."

The average length of stay for a child in one of the group homes is 18 to 22 months, although children have stayed four or five years.

Goals

"We spend so much time building a strong relationship," said John Torres, supervisor of Byron House and Brady House. "We give them everything we have and then they go. I don't know how we're able to do it. You feel some emptiness. I spend 16 hours a day with these guys; they become a part of you."

The thing that makes working with the children worthwhile is seeing them improve, explained Mr. Torres, adding: "You have a kid who was hard to like and now he's made progress. When you see them use the techniques you're teaching, it's obvious that they're getting it. It's a lot of work, but eventually there is some progress. That keeps us going."

Ms. Hayes agreed, saying the staff of St. Catherine's Center works not for financial rewards but for seeing the children make improvements.

"You don't do it for the money. There's a real commitment to help people improve their lives," she said. "At least you know these kids are safe."

Work with families

"We work closely with the parents," Ms. Hayes said. "You can't just treat a child; you need to work with the entire family. We have parents' groups and have training with parents. Kids need consistency and predictability. We always hope that kids can go home."

Besides hoping that the children entrusted to the care of St. Catherine's will go home, Ms. Hayes also looks forward to the day when the services currently offered by St. Catherine's are no longer needed.

"I'd like to be able to say that we'd be serving fewer children" in the future, she said, "but that's not true. We have waiting lists. I'd love to see us have to close our group homes.

"I'd love to see us do more prevention services," she continued. "If we could go back to real prevention -- go to clinics and hospitals when women are pregnant and teach parenting. I don't know if it will happen; it's a dream. But we have a willingness to try new things and take on new ventures."

(04-23-98) [[In-content Ad]]