Clara’s House Celebrating 15 Years

ST. CLOUD -- A local child behavioral health center is celebrating a big milestone this week.

CentraCare’s Clara’s House is celebrating 15 years with a community event on Monday night. Clara’s House serves children ages 5-18 with a unique four-week daytime program with the goal of getting them back in the regular school environment.

Program Facilitator Mary Jo Magee says resources are also provided to families.

There's a big family component at Clara's House where the families come in for family therapy, and we have a parent enrichment program so they can learn some skills to work on at home.

The nearly 25,000 square-foot center expanded in 2012 and includes a gym, playroom, classrooms, group rooms, garden, patio, and playground.

Clara's House has served close to 5,000 children over the last 15 years. Magee says the program is shaped to fit the need of each kid that comes through.

We have psychiatry care, we have therapists, we have occupational therapists to see do the kids have fine motor issues, we have a classroom teacher - is it more learning disability and they're struggling at school because they don't understand it? So everybody on the team in the unit sort of takes their perspective on this child and then we can find out what is working for them.

The open house runs from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at 1564 County Road 134 and will feature tours, refreshments, and more.

Clara’s House opened back in 2004 and continues to be largely donor-funded.