third way home

In March of 2004, Third Way Center partnered with the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center to provide educational services for the adjudicated youth incarcerated in the facility. We are contracted to educate thirty youth, both young men and young women, who are separated by gender and instructed in all major academic disciplines by three faculty members. When the contract was signed initially, the average length of a student’s stay was around six weeks. However, the Division of Youth Corrections has shifted the function of “the Foote” and it is now used largely as a transitional facility. Presently, the average length of stay has decreased to two weeks. Thus, the nature of the services that we provide has shifted to accommodate a more transient population.

Although still in its infancy, the program has successfully provided a safe learning environment in which kids can learn. The average student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1, but there are occasions when the ratio increases to support the sporadic population growth. Because Colorado’s youth services centers admit youthful offenders up until the age of 21, our educational staff works diligently to prepare a differentiated curriculum, which meets the needs of both high school students and college students. Whenever possible, we help to enroll post-secondary students in online and correspondence courses. At the same time, we continue to provide instruction in mathematics, English, social studies, art, and science to high school students earning credits toward their diploma. We also work individually with students preparing for the GED. In order to determine a student’s educational status, we communicate with client managers to establish a proper course of study for each individual.

The program’s mission is quite similar to that of Third Way Center’s Joan Farley Academy: to provide a safe learning environment that meets the individual learning needs of students and fosters their academic and affective growth in order to empower students. Upon arrival to the Foote, most students have been previously assessed at another DYC site. The Marvin W. Foote Educational Program utilizes the information gathered by DYC in order to develop an individualized learning plan for each student. Because our pupils spend an average of two weeks with us, in our classes we emphasize the standard core curriculum of math and language arts and focus on developing vocational interests. The staff is endorsed in social science, mathematics, language arts, and special education and uses a multi-modal approach to reach students with various learning styles. Although our teaching team is quite small, by July of 2006 we will have met the standards of NCLB (No Child Left Behind), and each teacher will be highly qualified in all content areas taught at the school.

One significant programmatic goal is to re-introduce students to society by instituting a weekly speaker series, which will focus on community resources and vocational exploration. With the implementation of this series, students will have the opportunity to engage practitioners in their fields and investigate a variety of career opportunities. Additionally, the director and supervisors at the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center have established a culture in which youthful offenders participate in restorative community justice.

A second goal of our program is to incorporate writing as a form of community service. Although the task of writing does not work directly towards eradicating any money they may owe in restitution, students can become empowered by using language to accomplish worthy goals benefiting society. In the service writing program, they can discover the strength of their minds and the will of their hearts to repair the damages owed to the community.

A third goal is to further develop the ties between the Marvin W. Foote Educational Program and the Cherry Creek school, which educates all pre-adjudicated youth in detention at the center. Our schools are located in the same wing of the building and meet monthly to discuss best practices and issues germane to the facility. In the future, we hope to create and utilize some co-curricular activities, bridging the two educational programs.

Together with the faculty of the Cherry Creek School and the Foote staff, the Marvin W. Foote Educational Program takes great pride in serving the youth of the 18th Judicial District.