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Home for Little Wanderers to sell off JP campus, move kids to Walpole

By adamg on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 8:36am

Rehabbing the Knight Children's Center on South Huntington Avenue, opened in 1914, would just have cost too much, the Home announced yesterday.

The campus currently houses a year-round residential and day school treatment program for boys and girls aged 5 to 13 with a wide range of emotional, behavioral, educational and psychiatric needs. The Home will relocate the program to its 166-acre Longview Farm property in Walpole, Massachusetts where it has provided services to youth since 1940. The time to move the children to better conditioned settings has never been more urgent.

So if you need some space on South Huntington, now's the time to get a bid in.

Neighborhoods: 
Jamaica Plain
Free tagging: 
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Comments

By Craig Webb on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 9:18am.

Shame for the city to loose civic-minded institution. But I guess if they get rid of the elderly care along that strip, kids should also get the shaft.

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By Kathode on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 11:39am.

Mt Pleasant Home and Sherrill House are still there.

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By BrainDali on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 1:00pm.

Don't you think that someplace sort of quieter (hopefully) like Walpole might be a good place for these kids?

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By eekanotloggedin on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 4:51pm.

There are pros and cons to both. For most of the kids who I've referred to residential, urban settings have a lot of plusses. Family members have an easier time visiting, kids are mostly from urban settings so do better learning community skills in a more familiar type of community, staff are more likely to be multicultural and better reflect the mix of kids, local businesses are more likely to be culturally relevant, etc.

I can't tell you how many kids I've had be miserable at suburban residential programs because there are few staff from their racial/language/religious background, staff don't know how to cook the food they're used to or there's nowhere to even buy it, they go on outings and every person in the town is white (and/or it's the sort of town where everyone knows they don't "belong" there thus must be from the program), there's no public transportation so their family can't often visit.

I've also had kids who got a lot out of being in quiet settings with a lot of nature, yes.

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By NotWhitey on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 2:11pm.

All long gone:

Blind Babies Home.

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.com/2007/12/b...

Vincent Memorial Hospital.

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.com/2007/12/v...

Perkins Kindergarten for Blind Children.

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.com/2007/12/h...

Rachel Allen Home for Old Colored Women:

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.com/2008/01/s...

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By anon on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 8:40pm.

The Italian Home for Children is still there.

And, recently, the residents of a neighboring elder care facility built a dollhouse with furniture and delivered it to the kids' home (it was, apparently, quite well received, "Wow, we'd be thrilled to take anything else you folks want to build!")

It's great to see the connection between young and old. The young, having recently come from the place to which the elders will soon go, have much to teach them....

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By susan mcvey on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 1:53am.

the home was a landmark on the jamaica way i was theyre
in 1953 my brother and sister also. i remember the swing
set and the trees in back do not think there was too
much food to eat and not very many people theyre. i
was only four years old it was a rather quiet lonely
place to be i am sure they have helped many many
kids over all these years. i never went back theyre
after we left. we did spend alot of time at nazareth
and that did traumatize all of us. i was wandering if
there is any pictures of the early years like 1953-1955
maybe of interior or grounds i am sure they never
kept any records of all the children that had to live
theyre. my mom was a drunk and dad was in jail thats how
we ended up staying theyre no family members would help us
well i would love to hear information on what good things
have happened for the home thanks sue mcvey use to live
in fidelis way projects in brighton. i am sure you are
still helping kids from the projects.

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