The Learning Clinic’s Rolling Ridge Residential Program is comprised of four levels:

Residential Care
Readiness for Assisted Living
Assisted Living
Community Living

Residential Homes

The residential homes are located within the rural countryside of northeastern Connecticut. Each home is unique in design and size and provides a family-like, therapeutic environment for students of mixed ages and skills. The setting emphasizes family skills and community oriented activities to promote self-reliance and social skill development. The students participate in the daily tasks of running a home such as cooking, grocery shopping, chores, and planning activities. Our residences have separate sleeping areas for boys and girls. Both single and double rooms are usually available.

All homes are staffed with 24-hour supervision by our house parents. Each house features overnight staff that remain awake throughout the night. During the school week the scheduled house parent-to-student ratio is 1:4. On weekends, and during vacation hours the staff-to-student ratio may vary from 1:1 to 1:8. At all times a supervisor is part of the schedule. Staff and supervisor are supported with a 24-hour clinical on-call system. Residential staff receive ongoing training in teaching and psychological methods best suited for our students. Through a formal system of operationally defined goals, families participate in the continuation of the program during home visitation on weekends and holidays. Evenings and weekends at TLC residences include community activities as well as activity and educational oriented field trips.

Readiness for Assisted Living

Our Readiness for Assisted Living program is for students who are 16-18 years old. We provide the support, structure, and supervision necessary to help students make choices about moving away from home and school environments. Our curriculum stresses self-reliance and goal setting. The end result of the program is that students learn to solve problems and make decisions regarding work, living arrangements, health, money, transportation, and leisure. We include activities designed to improve self-esteem and social skills.

Students matriculate through the program toward greater levels of ability for self regulation and social judgment to be able to reside in settings with greater degrees of independence, e.g. our Readiness for Assisted Living, Assisted Living, Independent Living programs. These houses are same sex because of the lower degree of direct supervision and time in off campus activities.

Assisted Living

Pierce House is located in Brooklyn Village, about 2 miles from the main campus. The house provides for up to 6 male students to have increased opportunities for independence while being mentored under conditions of less structure. Students are expected to be employed and/or enrolled in the local community college.

Pierce House and Pomfret North provide an experience that maintains therapeutic contacts and focus on social skills development. This is a prerequisite experience to apartment living. Male students between the ages of 18-22 are eligible for this program. The Carriage House is located on our main campus. The Carriage House is for female students and uses the same set of expectations as those established for Pierce House. The aim is increasing independence and community involvement.

Community Living

Our community living experience provides monitoring and support to those students who are ready for the next step toward more independence. Apartment living within the community is monitored to assist students adjusting to new challenges of independence, work, and school.

Coeducation

The Learning Clinic is an appropriate placement for both young and adolescent girls, as well as boys. Our residential living is within a coeducation experience.