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Some of the program and services provided by CCGC include:
- An Outpatient Counseling Center which serves nearly 1000 families per year.
- The Clinical School with an average enrollment of 50 and 60 students
- Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (IICAPS) – a model based out of Yale University that consists of 4 teams. Each team consists of a licensed mental health practitioner (social worker, marriage family therapist, professional counselor) and a bachelor level mental health counselor. The program serves 50 to 60 families per year.
- North Star Intensive Outpatient Program, which presently has a maximum capacity of 12 students.
- Victims of Crime Assistance through a federally overseen program for victims of domestic violence or trauma.
- School-based services with public and parochial schools in Manchester: CCGC clinicians collaborate with local school staff to support special needs students so that they may remain in their home schools among their familiar peer group.
CCGC students come from a variety of backgrounds--over 1,000 children from 45-50 Connecticut communities are served each year. The children have emotional and behavioral dysregulatory issues which may arise from a variety of causes, many of which are linked to poverty: food insecurity, housing insecurity, domestic violence, feeling unsafe.
A non profit organization, CCGC's funding sources include Husky (CT Medicaid), state support, federal support, private insurance, and the local school districts. Grant funds comprise only about 10% of their $6M budget.
CCGC launched a new student transportation program in 2020. In partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, several vans were purchased to transport students from their homes in Manchester, Vernon, and Hartford to the school. Their goal is to be able to provide transportation for all 60 students at the school within the next 3-5 years. Each van has a driver and an additional school staff member who are trained in behavioral and verbal de-escalation. This provides continuity so that students are familiar with the staff both on their bus ride and at school. The students are equipped with their own personal headphones to listen to music or to meditate during their travel. The busses are also equipped with brain teasers and fidget games. This creates a comfortable and safe environment for the kids.
CCGC recently purchased grow racks to enable students to grow their own fresh vegetables while in school. The students are involved in every aspect of the process: breaking up the soil and planting the seeds, adding fertilizer, watering, positioning the grow lights, and then harvesting and eating the vegetables. They hope to be able to grow more and more of their own produce to improve the quality of student meals.
CCGC will sponsor a fund-raising event on March 12 from 5-8 pm at Elicit Brewery in Manchester. Admission is $10 and there will be food and drink specials.