Prepare Program

The Prepare Program is operated within the Eau Claire Academy residential treatment program. In addition to providing for behavioral and emotional treatment needs of the adolescent, this program also provides for the extra needs that are presented by a pregnancy. Additional services that are provided include:

• Prenatal medical services
• Prenatal health education
• Birth control education
• Labor and delivery education
• Infant development education
• Baby Think It Over (BTIO©) education and practice
• Independent living skills training
• Parenting skills

Who will benefit from this Program ?
Adolescent females who are already pregnant and require the level of intervention provided by residential treatment programming are candidates for the Prepare Program. Girls who are maintaining healthy pregnancies (absence of medical complexities) can remain in the program through their seventh month of pregnancy. Behavioral transition and adjustment to the group home, foster home, or relative home level of care is a significant part of the treatment plan.

Expected outcomes of the Prepare Program:
Residents who complete the Prepare Program will benefit in the following areas:

• Improved behavioral and emotional control which benefits the health of the mother and unborn child
• Improved response to a less structured environment, which decreases chance of foster care requirements for the infant
• Improved readiness and understanding of infant care needs
• Independent Living Skills which include child caring expectations
• Continued progress in educational requirements toward graduation
• Increased confidence in meeting infant care needs through practice with Baby Think It Over (BTIO©) infant simulators.