Creative Alternatives is a nonprofit organization based in the Central Valley of California. Our primary activities include the operation of Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) homes for youth with specialty mental health needs, placement of children in private foster homes and running nonpublic schools. Creative Alternatives has been designed to provide what its name implies… an alternative to the institutionalization of children. Our programs are individualized to meet the needs of each child.
Our STRTP environment is designed to stabilize fragile youth and prepare them for transition to reunify with their natural family, foster care, or in some cases, emancipate into adulthood. Youth reside in a nurturing and therapeutic environment where they are taught independent living skills and coping strategies which offer them alternatives to self-destructive behavior.
Our mission is to provide a healthy, safe and nurturing environment for emotionally disturbed, neglected and abused children. We think that once a child’s chaotic beginning has been stabilized, positive changes and healthy development can occur. Our goal is to place all children in our care into home environments that encourage and allow them to develop healthy, positive social attachments.
The majority of the students we serve have a variety of emotional, social, and behavioral problems. We serve grades K-12 with placements in grades 3-12. Emphasis is placed on improving social skills by requiring students to be held accountable for their actions. A system of rewards and consequences is used to assist in improving their social skills. Academic subjects are given equal attention
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Our Mission: Deliver comprehensive services in a nurturing environment to youth and young adults.
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By Kristina Hackerkhacker@turlockjournal.com209-634-9141, ext. 2004 POSTED June 26, 2013 4:33 p.m Kevin Walls had a rough start to life. After being abandoned by his mother in a Turlock park at the age of 3, he spent the next five years in a group home. It wasn’t until he was 8 years old that he found a […]
By Kristina Hackerkhacker@turlockjournal.com209-634-9141, ext. 2004 POSTED May 15, 2014 4:30 p.m During her life, Grace Bishop was not only a founding board member of local foster youth agency Creative Alternatives, she was also one of the most passionate advocates for helping the hundreds of kids served by the agency. “She was always saying, ‘We need to […]
By Kristina Hackerkhacker@turlockjournal.com209-634-9141, ext. 2004 POSTED May 21, 2015 8:30 p.m As high school seniors prepare for graduation and to make their first life decisions as adults, they may seek advice (and financial assistance) from parents, siblings or extended family members. For many foster youth, however, there are no supportive family members able to help them […]