Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-16
Boys in Trouble
lobe Separated
In New Cottage

In New Cottage
Emotionally disturbed boys will
no longer be thrown with older
boys in trouble when a new cot
tage opens July l at the Chill
dren's Center at Laurel. Md.
A present. badly upset younger
delinquents who cannot get along
at the institution are housed In
the same security cottage with
the more sophisticated boys.
Children's Center is the Dis
trict Welfare Departments insti-
tuition for delinquent and re-
tarded children.
The new one-story brick build
ing actually will house 81 dis
turbed children on one side, and
81 who are being disciplined on
the other.
Two Buildings Sought
Economy made it impossible to
construct two separate buildings,
as officials would have preferred
But the two sides will be oper-
ated as If they were separate,
They are complete in themselves,
and have been given individual
names, Ash and Birch.
1.-THE combination of the chill
dren who were very disturbed
with those in trouble was not
: good" Miss Winifred G. Thomp-
son, superintendent of Childrens
Center, declared. 1.-THE other ar
rangement (set up late in 1857
was a holding operation until
this cottage could be built.
Both sides are identical. The
rooms have pastel walls. with
doors painted in Complementary
colors. The windows are security
windows. but security is achieved
by steel frames divided into
many small panes. not with bars
The outside doors are locked at
all times. Individual rooms will
not normally be locked.
Chance for Sports
big muscle activity rooms
and an enclosed playyard will
give the students opportunity for
recreation and a chance to de-
velop q healthy interest in sports
A treatment team. composed
Of the center's psychiatrist. a
psychologist and a social worker
win map out the program for the
disturbed youngsters. Counsel
lors have been carefully selected
I'VE believe the potential for
help is great for the younger
4. "a to 12) boys" Miss Thompson
said. Group and individual
therapy will be used in their
treatment.
:. A teacher from the school
at the center has been assigned
. to the treatment side of the
building. The accent will be
on creative work. with a kiln
and other equipment available
in an activities room.
~sf Psychiatric Help
The boys on the security side.
whose stay In the building will
be Of short duration. may get
some psychiatric help. But
although it is recognized that
they too may be emotionally
disturbed, it Is believed their
behavior patterns are too set
for the program planned for
the treatment side to help
> them. These are the boys who
don't like institutional life. They
persist in breaking rules and
get into trouble. Many of then
are close to the age limit for
their release from the Children's
Center.
The older boys may attend
regular classes at the center.
and go TO work assignments. "A
teacher win not be assigned to
: their building, but a vocational
training program is planned.
Equipment for furniture repair,
and a heavy duty commercial
washer and dryer will give work
opportunities inside the cottage.
Welfare Department officials
quickly point out that this is
not q residential treatment CEN
ter, for which appropriations
have been requested without
success for the past two years.
Such centers are stated by psy-
chiatrists and others who can
devote full time and carry on
intensive therapy.
First for Department
It is. however, the first time
the Department has been able
to give attention in a living
situation to these disturbed boys.
The cottage was turned over to
boys because the need to sepa-
rate the disturbed from the rule
breakers was greater than in the
girls security cottage.
The building was financed
with money diverted, because
Of the need for the new security
building, from funds for the
addition to the Receiving Home.
and from District capital outlay
projects that cost less than
planned. Twenty thousand dol
lars was appropriated for equip
ment. In all. approximately
$3l1 900 was made available for
, plans, construction and equip
ment.