Provide quality services to preserve, stabilize and build families.

Empower children and families to set and achieve their goals.

Provide safe and nurturing environments for children.

The Southern Home Services program, Crisis to Competence (CTC), has operated since 1991. Its primary goal is to help children achieve their fullest potential as they grow to become healthy, productive, and independently functioning adult citizens. Measurable CTC goals are to ensure child safety; to measurably improve the child’s school progress in academic performance, attendance, and behavior; and to reach needy families through prevention services. In conjunction with the Southern Home Services parenting program, additional goals are improvement in parenting skills and increased parental support for the child’s school activities. Parenting classes are held currently at John Wister Elementary School and at the agency offices, providing this education to families receiving services from Southern Home Services and Tabor Children’s Services.

Efforts to strengthen children and their families were directed in recent years to particular high-risk communities in North Philadelphia. The Crisis to Competence program model is to collaborate with school personnel in identifying at-risk children and to engage the active involvement of the children’s parents. In this way, Southern Home staff members resolve basic problems that threaten the welfare of the children. The current CTC population can defined as students:

• ranging from 5 through 12 years of age;
• from families of a minority race and/or ethnicity;
• whose family income is well below poverty level; and
• from population segments that are remarkable for high rates of unemployment, crime and dropping out of school.

Over a four-year period at schools in North Philadelphia, children receiving CTC services achieved the following outcomes:

• 58 percent showed academic improvement;
• 68 percent improved in behavior; and
• 48 percent improved in attendance.

The tools and measures for determining program outcomes include: academic progress reports and report cards; parent/teacher conferences; attendance records; Individualized Education Program (IEP); integrated planning meetings; and personal interviews. In 2009 Southern Home brought CTC to John Wister Elementary School in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, where children have achieved similarly positive outcomes.

The value that school personnel place on CTC outcomes is affirmed by national studies that associate improvements in academics, behavior and attendance with the reduced likelihood of dropping out from high school. Services provided at school, in the home and through parenting workshops help avert out-of-home placement by the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

• 23 students from Luis Munoz Marin, Isaac A. Sheppard, Bayard Taylor & Mary McLeod Bethune schools received Crisis to Competence (CTC) services; 5 siblings of youth identified by their schools also received CTC services.

• After-school program included homework assistance, arts & crafts, games and structured activities; after-school program met United Way’s achievement standards.

• Community partners: United Way, Centro Pedro Claver, Koinonia Christian Community Church, Philabundance, Congreso de Latino Unidos, St. Mark’s Church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Lonnie Anderson Recreation Center, Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Intellectual Pursuit & Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania.

• CTC supervisor became girl scout leader for seven juniors (troup #949) and nine brownies (troup #975) who attended the CTC after-school program; leader secured waiver of the girls’ membership fee.

• After-school students participated in Day of Caring at Germantown Home, reading and coloring pictures for the elderly residents.

• After-school students visited historic Johnson House in Germantown and learned history of runaway slaves.

• 62% of the children showed academic improvement; 45% had fewer absences; 97% improved in school behavior.

• Free summer day camp at St. Luke’s Church included therapeutic component funded by St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children.