Creative Alternatives is a nonprofit organization based in the Central Valley of California. Our primary activities include the operation of residential care homes for children, placement of children in private homes and running nonpublic ED 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 group home environment is designed to prepare emotionally fragile youth for the transition from group living to reunification with their natural family, foster care, or in some cases, emancipation. In a nurturing environment, children are taught independent living skills and coping strategies which offer the children 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
Our Mission: Deliver comprehensive services in a nurturing environment to youth and young adults.
See what we do!
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 […]