Residential Care

The admissions process begins when a parent or legal guardian makes a referral by completing and submitting an application. Along with an application, we will need supporting clinical documentation from a provider or evaluation, an IQ assessment, a social history, necessary legal documentation, medical records, school transcripts and Special Education documents.

After reviewing the submitted information, we will determine if the child needs to participate in an interview with an Admissions Representative. This interview is conducted either in person, by phone or WebEx depending on your location.

If we determine our program is a good fit for your child and we qualify them for placement, the parent or guardian must complete some additional documentation. Boys Town sends the required forms to the parent or guardian upon the child’s qualification for placement.

Once the final admission’s requirements have been met, the parent or guardian will be contacted to schedule an admission date for the child’s arrival at Boys Town.

Boys Town is located in Omaha, Nebraska and is one of the largest child and family care organizations in the United States. We have been serving children and families since 1917. Our programs help girls and boys who are placed outside their homes, work with families in their own homes and provide resources and support to children and parents in their communities.

The Family Home Program provides family-style care for children in a home run by a professionally trained married couple called Family-Teachers. Six to eight youth of the same gender live in each Family Home. Family-Teachers are responsible for meeting the daily needs of their youth and teaching them social, academic and independent-living skills while living in a family-style environment. Family-Teachers receive 24/7 support from a Consultant.

A Family Home can accommodate six to eight children. It is a single-family home with a large kitchen, laundry room, living room, dining room, recreational space, bedrooms and bathrooms. Your child may share a bedroom with a roommate. They will have private space in the bedroom that can be decorated and personalized.

Your child will attend school, participate in school-based activities, eat meals with the Family-Teachers and other youth and complete chores and homework. Family-Teachers will monitor youth behaviors, all while consistently teaching new skills. Also, weekends are structured but every Family Home makes a point to participate in activities together, spend time being active and enjoy recreation time. All the kids who come to Boys Town will be able to attend religious services.

The safety of your child is our number one priority. Boys Town has numerous practices in place to monitor and ensure the safety of all youth; in fact, we even have our own police department. Every child in our care is encouraged to talk to a trusted adult at Boys Town anytime they feel unsafe, and we have an ethics line they can call if they feel they can’t get their needs met. We also encourage you, as a parent, to talk to Boys Town staff anytime you have a concern.

As a parent, you know your child best, and your involvement is critical. You will be working with your child’s Family-Teachers as part of a team to help support your child’s Service Plan. This plan lays out the best course of action to help your child and provides the consistency that is vital to their success. We encourage you to participate in activities that involve your child, including team meetings, daily behavior goals, extracurricular activities, school events and others.

To get a referral started you will need to submit the following information:

1. Clinical assessment or evaluation, an IQ assessment and a social history. These often can be obtained from the child’s school or a therapist.
2. School grades, transcripts, behavioral information, Special Education records and Individual Education Programs.
3. Current (within the last year) physical examination and immunization records.

You can download a Family Home Program application here. We can also send you this application through email, mail or fax. Please call 1-800-989-0000 to get an application sent to you today.

Once the Admissions Department has received the admission forms, along with all necessary documents, an Admission Service Representative will be assigned to you. The Admission Service Representative assigned to you will take approximately 5-7 business days to review your child’s information and determine if the needs of the child can best be served in our program.

The legal guardian is responsible for providing transportation to Boys Town for the admission.

On the day your child is admitted to Boys Town, you and your child will meet together with Boys Town staff and others. This will give you an opportunity to meet the Family-Teachers your child will be living with. The members of the team that will be caring for your child will discuss you and your child’s strengths, as well as the reasons for placement at Boys Town. We value your input in setting goals for both your child and family while at Boys Town. Your input is important! We want you to feel comfortable sharing information so the Family-Teachers can get to know your child and your family. These meetings typically last 1 ½ to 2 hours.

To determine financial responsibility, please submit a completed Family Home Program application.