About Laraway

Laraway Youth and Family Services strives to help children and families learn, heal and grow.

Laraway proudly serves children, youth and families from across Vermont, helping them to transform their lives for the better.

Our staff of highly skilled and compassionate professionals provides direct services, information and support to those in our care and to their parents, families and caregivers.

Our programs and services are designed to improve and enrich the lives of our students, and to help them make lifelong connections.  Every day at Laraway:

• Children who experience learning disabilities are inspired to learn
• Children challenged by mental health issues receive therapeutic support
• Children who have been abused or neglected receive the support and resources they need to thrive
• Children who experience emotional and behavioral disorders learn to express their feelings, develop positive relationships and find success at school
• Children learn to be safe, responsible and respectful
• Children learn to exercise their bodies and eat healthy food
• Parents, guardians and foster families receive critical in-home supports
• Families receive the support, resources and information they need to appropriately care and advocate for their children

We measure our success one child at a time…in small steps and giant leaps of faith.
Personal growth.  Academic strides.  Re-establishing connections with family and community.  Transitioning to the least restrictive environment that will accommodate their needs.  This is the work we do.  This is the work we are passionate about.

We embrace the challenge of helping youth to recover from trauma while discovering the special and unique gifts they bring to the world.

A Message from Greg Stefanski, M.Ed., Former Laraway Executive Director

The tagline for Laraway Youth & Family Services is Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families, Building Community. These words guide the work we do and the decisions we make.

Empowering Youth. Why might children and families feel powerless? Whether it's an angry post on Facebook, a story about politics or terrorism on NPR or Fox News or a discouraging look from a parent, teacher or coach---our kids receive many reminders that their world, our world, can be a pretty scary and harmful place.  By providning counseling and therapeutic supports, by helping kids discover and learn new things about their world and themselves, we help them create and build hope in themselves and others. It's this hope that helps a young person see the world not as a place to be feared, but a place to be explored and a place where they can contribute and make a difference.

Strengthening Families.The ties and bonds that connect individuals and families are being pulled and stretched in directions that are hard to imagine. The list of pressures on families seems endless: financial stress, substance abuse, domestic violence, technology mania and transportation woes. As our kids gain confidence in themselves and faith in the adults around them, we start to look at the next layer of support---families and other natural supports. Supervised time with these individuals is absolutely critical to young people successfully transitioning back to their public schools, their families and their communities. Laraway staff spend time getting to know these friends and families and making sure they have the supports and services they need for themselves and to be the best caretakers they can for our kids.

Building Community. Once an individual has found hope and is doing the work of reconnecting with family, we can take the leap into what our communities have to offer and what they need. Laraway likes to push clinical and educational work out into the world around us. Over the years, Laraway has made meaningful connections with places like the Lamoille Community Food Share, The Farm Between, Northern Vermont University and The Spirit of Ethan Allen, to name a few. These organizations give kids a chance to try out new behaviors and attitudes and have also given them a chance to give back through service learning activties.

Please browse the Laraway website to find examples of how Laraway empowers kids, strengthens their families and helps them build community. 

Laraway's Vision, Mission and Values

Our Vision

All children and families belong to nurturing communities.

Our Mission

Providing opportunities for children and families to recognize their individual strengths while supporting them to grow and contribute within our communities

Our Values

We embrace a youth centered and family focused philosophy by

• Listening to the voice of the child and striving to act in his or her best interest
• Appreciating diverse family cultures
• Honoring youth and their families by preserving, supporting and strengthening their bonds

We promote respect for individuals and organizations by

• Recognizing the potential of all human beings
• Celebrating differences and accomplishments
• Seeking to create and maintain relationships based on trust and integrity

We create opportunities and strive to empower youth and their families by

• Identifying individual strengths
• Coordinating the creation of realistic action plans
• Seeking and integrating feedback

We value building community and encouraging giving back by

• Believing a strong Laraway family is the foundation of our work
• Promoting participation in local activities and culture
• Fostering professional partnerships and alliances
• Supporting youth in transitions to families and communities

Our History: Responding to a Community Need

Laraway’s beginnings were humble.  We started in 1972, in a barn.  A winding road in Waterville, Vermont leads to the small, 1840s structure that was once the property of Rumsey Jesser, a local artist.  Laraway's very first class was held here.

1972:  Founded by a group of local citizens, including Jesser, concerned about students being excluded from local public high schools due to their social, emotional and/or behavioral challenges. Occupied temporary quarters in Bakersfield.

1973:  Moved to Johnson State College campus. Started serving students at the Mountain Road Group Home (MRGH) in Jeffersonville.

1974:  Closed temporarily when MRGH opened its own school.  Laraway re-opened, expanding service area and introducing a residential component.  Outdoor Adventure Education and Career Exploration are introduced as currcular components.

1975:  Congress passed Public Law 94142, our nation’s first special education law.  This law guaranteed students with special needs a “free and appropriate education” and enabled funding.

1976:  Moved to a rambling Victorian at 95 School Street in Johnson.  Modular classrooms added over time to respond to enrollment demands.

1980s:  Introduced a work placement program and ran a downtown Johnson Scoop Shop in partnership with Ben & Jerry's.

1990s:  Responded to federal de-institutionalization mandates by transforming residential program into a therapeutic foster care program.

2000s:  Continued to expand services in response to community needs, adding an elementary school division and a public school based behavioral intervention program.

2009:  Laraway moved to a 39-acre farm in Johnson, transforming a long-dormant dairy barn into school and therapeutic spaces while taking steps to integrate agricultural activities into our services.

2015:  Laraway hosts satellite offices in Morrrisville and Hardwick as well as a micro-residential program in Johnson.

2019:  Laraway conducts Strategic Planning Initiative, engaging our youth, families, staff and community partners.

A view towards the future:  With a view from the barn over our expansive property nestled among the Green Mountains and the wending Lamoille River, we honor our past while casting our eyes toward the future, a bright future for the children and families we serve.

Laraway's Home

A place to learn.  A place to heal.  A place to grow.

In July 2011, a thoughtfully designed school, therapeutic and administrative space opened on the Laraway campus.  The new structure, fashioned from a barn that had been empty and unused for decades, was built in response to growing demand for our high quality special  education and therapeutic services.

We remain grateful to our Board and the many individuals, businesses and foundations who helped bring our vision to reality.  Laraway is strategically poised to deliver stellar services which prepare young people for productive and successful adulthoods.  Our expansive property allows Laraway to integrate lessons of sustainability into our teaching and therapeutic activities.

Our 12,940 square-foot facility, coupled with an existing farmhouse, provide clean, energy efficient classrooms, a library, an art studio, a music room, and kitchen and laundry facilities for teaching essential life skills.

Our site offers 39 acres of beautiful fields and woods, bordered by the Green Mountains and the Lamoille River.  It is a visually peaceful place, offering a safe, supportive and natural environment for children and youth, ages 5-21.

Designed by Joseph Architects of Waterbury, Vermont and built by Connor Contracting of Berlin, Vermont, our new building is designed to be energy efficient and safe, while tailored to the needs of the population we serve.

The added capacity allows us to grow to meet the needs of children and youth who come to us from across Vermont.

Campus tours are available.  We invite you to visit.

Facts at A Glance

We are available around the clock:  Laraway operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

We offer the highest quality services to youth with complex needs:  Laraway provides educational, therapeutic foster care, therapy and behavioral intervention supports to some of Vermont’s most challenging youth.  We serve children and teens aged 5 to 21 who experience learning, behavioral and mental health challenges.  Many are survivors of neglect, physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse.

We serve children and youth from across Vermont.  Although many of our clients hail from Lamoille County, we attract youth from across the state, drawn to our highly specialized services.

We are professionally managed.  A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Laraway is led by an Executive Director and Management Team.  We are guided by a volunteer Board of Trustees representing the human services, education, business and philanthropic sectors.

We are experts in our field.  Laraway is licensed by the Vermont Department of Education and the Vermont Department for Children and Families.  Additionally, we actively partner with the Vermont Department of Mental Heath, the Vermont Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Vermont Department of Labor.

We are committed to training aspiring professionals in our field.  Laraway partners with students from area institutions of higher learning to offer well-designed, academically appropriate internships.

We are a regional economic engine.  Laraway is one of Lamoille County’s largest employers with over 160 staff and a $12 million annual operating budget.

We aim to be prudent stewards.  Laraway receives primary funding from local public schools, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and Medicaid.  Private donations and grants from individuals, foundations and community organizations help fund projects and programs that directly benefit the children and youth we serve.  Donations also pay for capital improvements not afforded through public funding.

We’ve helped hundreds of kids and their families.  We serve over 100 youth and their families annually and have been providing services since 1972.

Our Team

One of the best indicators of the quality of a program is the quality and commitment of its staff.

At Laraway, we have built a team of caring, talented and well trained staff.  We operate 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.  In order to meet the needs of the children, youth and families we serve, we employ over 160 full and part-time staff members.

Over 93% of our staff  provide direct service.  From classroom teachers to case managers to maintenance workers, each member of our team is committed to improving the lives of the children and youth we serve.

When asked what they liked about their jobs, members of Laraway’s staff said:

• Seeing a child change from victim to survivor and take control of their life
• Witnessing children finding success in our program and transitioning back to public school
• Seeing the progress made by students in our programs is really amazing
• Receiving a call from a parent who said they would not have made it through without us
• Experiencing the camaraderie among staff
• Being visited on the holidays by former foster care youth and seeing how successful they’ve become
• Valuing how case managers and other supervisors provide staff with verbal praise and recognition for our work as interventionists
• Every day at Laraway is a memorable experience!

OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Laraway’s Board of Trustees is comprised of volunteers from the human services, education, business and philanthropic sectors who are responsible for the management and administration of our agency.  Board members serve three year terms.

Our Board ensures a mission-driven, sound institutional planning process; recommends and reviews policies and new initiatives; authorizes major renovations; hires the Executive Director; exercises fiduciary responsibilities; and approves operating and capital budgets.

Ben Judy, Chair of Laraway's Board, graduated from Bates College with a degree in History.  Ben's dedication to public service has allowed him to build a long and respected career at the Vermont Department of Labor.  Ben and his wife enjoy living in a state where so many people travel to recreate.  They enjoy walking, biking and hiking together in beautiful Vermont.

Kipp Bovey, Vice Chair of Laraway's Board, is a Massachusetts native who attended high school in Connecticut before earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont and graduate degree at Yale. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife at Copley Women's Center and Birthing Center.  She enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, skiing, knitting and making Halloween costumes for her children.

Emma Marvin, Treasurer of Laraway's Board, graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Natural Resource Management.  She is part of the second generation at her family's business, Butternut Mountain Farm, where she is responsible for retail operations, marketing, new business development and "special" projects. She serves on numerous boards and was named Vermont Maple Person of the Year in 2014.

Nanci Lepsic, Secretary of Laraway's Board, has worked as an educator, administrator, occupational therapist and ski instructor.  She and her husband Tom also raised four children adopted from the Vermont Department for Children, Youth and Families.  She is the parent of a former Laraway youth.

Mary Moulton, MPA, is currently the Executive Director of Washington County Mental Health Services, Inc.  Mary has worked for over 20 years in mental health emergency and disaster response with children and adults, networking with health care, criminal justice and public safety.  She has a specific interest in creating integrated systems of response within communitties to serve identified needs.


 

Key Contacts

Dave McAllister, Executive Director
802-635-2805 x 201 * Fax 802-635-3696 * Email Dave

Dave joined Laraway in 1999 at age 19 and has served in numerous roles of increasing responsibility which include overnight staff, crisis support, case management, staff supervision and new program development, and has moved into the Executive Director role for the agency.  He is Treasurer of the VT Coalition of Residential Providers, is active in civic affairs, and is pursuing graduate studies in Organizational Leadership.

Bernard Isabelle, Finance Director
802-635-2805 x 108  *  Fax 802-635-7273 * Email Bernie

Bernie is one of the newest members of our Senior Leadership Team and and brings extensive experience and education to his role. We are in the process of updating his profile, in the mean time, please don't hesitate to reach out to Bernie if you have any questions or need assistance. 
 

Lisa Burt-Parkhurst, Backpack Program Director
802-760-9459  Fax 802-635-7273 * Email Lisa



Brittany Decker, Director of Substitute Care Programs

802-798-9468 * Fax 802-635-3696 * Email Brittany

Brittany has her Master’s Degree in social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She brings over 5 years of case management, clinical supports, and supervision skills from alternative schools and other mental health agencies. Brittany is new to Laraway, joining in 2020 as the program director of Substitute Care. She believes that a system approach, including all that the serve the youth, is a vital part of supporting any youth.

Rhonda Stuart, Director of Human Resources, IT, and Compliance
802-635-2805 x 105  *  Fax 802-635-7273 * Email Rhonda

Rhonda joined Laraway in 2010, with over 20 years of Human Resources and compliance experiece.  Rhonda oversees employee relations, staffing and recruitment, compensation and benefits, payroll administration, IT, and Compliance.

Licensures

Laraway School is licensed by the Vermont Department of Education as a K-12 Independent School. 

Laraway’s Substitute Care Program is licensed by the Vermont Department for Children and Families as a child placing agency.

Financials

Laraway Annual Report FY2018

Laraway Audited Financial Statement FY2018

Laraway 990

Laraway Farm 990