Young People in Need

The determination to send a child to one of PEP's Therapeutic Schools is made by the parents in partnership with their public school district. All PEP students have an IEP. Students who attend PEP's Day Treatment Centers:

• Are ages 5-22
• Often have significant behavior challenges
• Often have difficulty regulating their emotions
• May have autism or other developmental disabilities
• Have not have been successful in a traditional school placement.

Parents make the decision to enroll their child in a PEP Therapeutic School in collaboration with their home school district. The school district must make the actual referral. Reach out to your home school district, if you are interested.

No.

• PEP Chesnutt, PEP Hopewell and PEP Willow Creek serve young people with severe emotional or behavioral challenges. These students typically do not demonstrate significant cognitive deficits, yet their mental health issues have inhibited their learning, and it is likely their academic achievement is not on par with their peers.
• PEP Phoenix serves young people who have severe emotional or behavioral challenges and are also identified as cognitively delayed.
• PEP Prentiss Autism Center serves young people with autism and/or other complex developmental disabilities, all of whom have a significant impairment in communication and present severe and challenging behaviors.

Programming is specific to the needs of the students at each center, so programming is not identical from location to location. Highlights of programming offered at all centers include:

• Academic instruction in line with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
• Daily social-emotional learning using evidence-based curriculum
• Therapeutic art, music and outdoor education
• Community-based service learning
• Life skills
• Family peer support
• Psychiatric and case management services are available

PEP Therapeutic School placement is determined by several factors, one of which is parental preference. A child's specific needs and fit with a particular center are also considered.

No. A student's public school district pays to send a child to PEP.

PEP's Therapeutic Schools set a foundation for lasting change using an approach that is:

• Strengths-Based
• Whole Child Whole Family
• Relationship Centered
• Trauma Informed

PEP Therapeutic Schools have a high staff-to-student ratio, a maximum 1:2 building-wide. The ratio is higher for PEP Phoenix and PEP Prentiss, whose students require additional support.

PEP’s curriculum is designed to align with the Ohio Department of Education’s standards, ensuring that all students receive an education that meets state requirements. Additionally, the curriculum is structured to be accessible to every child, catering to diverse learning needs and promoting an inclusive environment.

Parents make the decision to enroll their child in a PEP Therapeutic School in collaboration with their home school district. The school district must make the actual referral.

The determination to send a child to PEP Prentiss Autism Center is made by the parents in partnership with their public school district. Students who attend PEP Prentiss typically have autism and/or other complex developmental disabilities, considerable impairment in communication, and present with severe and challenging behaviors.

OhioRISE is a state-wide initiative of the Medicaid program designed to help young people with significant behavioral health issues succeed. It brings together local entities, schools, providers, health plans and families to improve care for children.

PEP is one of many agencies throughout the state that helps administer OhioRISE in its region. These agencies are known as Care Management Entities (CMEs). PEP provides OhioRISE services through its PEP Connections program. PEP’s region is central Cuyahoga County.

OhioRISE serves young people, ages 0-20, who have behavioral health challenges, need extra support and could be at risk of out-of-home placement or deeper system involvement because of issues like:

• Substance use challenges
• Autism or other developmental disabilities
• Juvenile court involvement
• Situations that lead to child protective services involvement
• Difficulty with peer and/or family relationships
• Problems at school

Requirements for OhioRISE include:

• Significant behavioral health issues as determined by an assessment tool called the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment.
• Age 0-20
• Medicaid eligibility

Children may also be eligible because of certain urgent conditions, for example, if a child or youth is in the hospital for behavioral health reasons.

With OhioRISE your family will receive care coordination services for your child. You can expect your child’s care team to design a specialized care plan that builds on your family’s strengths, needs, culture and vision. There will be regular communication with your care coordinator, ongoing review of what is working and what is not, linkage to other services and 24/7 crisis support.

Start the process by calling our intake line at 216-361-2441 or email us at pepohiorise@pepcleve.org. We will help you determine if your child is eligible and start the intake process.

There is no direct referral route for IHBT. To be considered for IHBT, a young person must first be enrolled in OhioRISE Care Coordination. Once enrolled in OhioRISE, the child’s clinical care team will determine if IHBT services would be beneficial and if so, will make the referral.

Yes. To be considered for IHBT, a young person must first be enrolled in OhioRISE.

IHBT serves young people, ages 3-17, who have serious emotional disturbances. Young people served by IHBT are typically experiencing multiple problems resulting from their mental health issues; are involved in multiple systems and are at risk of out-of-home placement or are returning home from placement.

Experienced IHBT professionals lead whole families in therapy sessions, which occur primarily in the home twice a week for a total of three to six hours. The young person and at least one adult caregiver must participate in the sessions.

An agency or a family may make a referral by contacting Lauren Woods at 216-361-4400 ext. 147.

We serve families with children age birth to the 6th birthday in Cuyahoga County whose child is struggling with social emotional development or who are experiencing parenting challenges.

The child must be under age six and live in Cuyahoga County.

No. This service is funded by the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County and Invest in Children.

No. This service is considered preventative, and we do not make diagnoses.

A PEP consultant will provide a social emotional assessment for your child, offer parenting tips and strategies and help you connect to the resources your family needs for their child.

Examples of behaviors we often address include:

• Frequent temper tantrums
• Not following directions
• Aggression
• Separation anxiety
• Sleeping issues
• An experience of trauma

The number of sessions depends on the needs of the family, with a cap of 10 – 12 meetings.

Sessions generally occur weekly or every other week.

At any time during short-term consultation visits, a family can choose to participate in the Intensive Parenting Support Program. The program is a sequential skill-building program for parents and caregivers. The PEP consultant will present a lesson each week, teaching and demonstrating the skill. Parents and children then practice the new skill with coaching from the consultant.