Youth Guidance Foster Care

Inspired by Ingham County Probate Judge Robert Drake, a group of private citizens, business people and community leaders concerned about youths at risk founded the original Youth Opportunity Camp in 1963. Designed to be a place where people grow by discovering strong personal values and building life goals around them, youths are given the opportunity to experience positive adult guidance in a disciplined setting. The program has helped hundreds of youths. Its work with troubled youth taught that in order to improve their futures, their families needed help too. It learned that through early intervention, they can resolve problems and keep families together. As a result, Highfields has become a multi-service, early intervention agency serving families and youth in mid-Michigan. It has pioneered the home-based counseling approach where counselors go into the homes and work with families. With its expanded services, Highfields currently serves more than 10,000 people a year.

Founded in 1887, D. A. Blodgett for Children is a foster care and adoption agency located in Grand Rapids, Mich. It provides various services to orphan, homeless, sick and disabled children. The agency is a member of the Federation of Social Agencies. It runs several programs, such as parent therapist and big brother and big sister programs. The agency has a short-term foster group home for juvenile detention. It also offers the sisters-in-support program to assist adolescent mothers and the family reunification project to support permanency planning and family preservation. D. A. Blodgett for Children has won the Best Foster Care Agency Performance Award and the Best Agency Adoption Performance Award. The agency is approved by the Council On Accreditation of Services for Families and Children.

Starr Commonwealth, located in Battle Creek, MI, is dedicated to healing through trauma-informed care training and direct services, enabling children, families, and communities to flourish. Their programs focus on professional trauma training, community-based behavioral health services, and fostering resilience among students and educators. Offering a variety of certifications and educational opportunities, Starr Commonwealth aims to empower childcare professionals, educators, and clinicians with innovative techniques that promote mental health and safety within schools. Their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging further enhances their mission to create supportive environments for all individuals. Generated from the website