Therapeutic Preschool and Day Treatment

Established in 1992 and nationally recognized, the Therapeutic Preschool Day Treatment Program at Providence Saint John's Child and Family Development Center has been helping children ages 2 ½ through 5 years old who require an intensive treatment program to reach their full potential.

The Therapeutic Preschool provides a safe, nurturing environment for children who require early intervention due to neurological, behavioral and/or psychological disturbances. Children likely to benefit from such intervention may suffer from prenatal substance exposure, oppositional behavior, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression/anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, child abuse and neglect and/or reactive attachment disorder.

A Nurturing Program

The Therapeutic Preschool is a multidisciplinary, intensive day treatment program focusing on an attachment-based treatment philosophy. The program meets every weekday in groups supervised by two or more specially trained staff with a maximum of 10 children. The program's features include:

  • Consistent, long-term child/staff relationships for up to two years
  • 5:1 student/staff ratio
  • Personalized, sensitive environment

A Caring Team of Experts

Taking a multidisciplinary team approach, the Therapeutic Preschool provides comprehensive, on-going assessment from a team of experts that may include psychiatrists, developmental psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, early education experts, early intervention specialists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists.

The team designs individual treatment plans based on the needs of each child and family. The plan may include:

  • Child/family therapy
  • Parent education
  • Parent support groups
  • Speech therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Medication assessment and support
  • Educational transition services

Parent/caregiver support and involvement is essential to treatment. Caregiver support activities include:

  • Family therapy
  • In-home consultations
  • Community services referrals and linkages

Fees and Funding Sources

The costs for services may be met through MediCal, Healthy Families and private payment. A sliding scale payment plan is available to qualified families.

Funding sources for the Child and Family Development Center include the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Department of Children and Family Services, City of Santa Monica and private donations.

Contact Us

Call us for intake: 310-829-8921.