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Youth Services
The Stow Youth Services provides alternative rehabilitation for juveniles who have been arrested by local police. This program diverts teens from the Juvenile Court System and provides accountability and assistance to the teens and their parents.
This is a cooperative effort between the youth, parents, and Stow Youth Services staff. Any juvenile who lives in the City of Stow who becomes involved with the police is eligible for referral. Walk-ins are also considered when parents need help providing the proper information to their child. All juveniles are placed on a three-month contract that is closely monitored and given effective logical consequences to abide.
Other programs that are provided are 6-hour Mandatory Parent/Student Educational Groups, Tobacco Education Class, and Safety Town.
Stow Youth Services offer internships every year. Interns complete many hours with Stow Youth Services employees and receive valuable training on this diversion program and learn all facets of this successful program.
Stow Youth Services also provides presentations on the following topics Tobacco Education, Parenting, Safety Town, Restorative Justice, Neighborhood Watch, Family Workshop, National Crime Safety Night Out, Stow Health Expo, and more.
This is a safety education program for children who will be entering Kindergarten in the Fall. Safety Town students are taught topics such as fire safety, safety belts, pedestrian safety, bike safety, bus safety, personal safety, and playground safety. Stow Youth Services coordinates this program along with the implementation of two teachers and teen volunteers.
The permanent Safety Village is also used for this program which allows students to learn bike safety and pedestrian safety in a real-life setting. The Village is a huge success with a great positive response from the community.
Safety Town Stars
In response to a need that we have identified for students who have a developmental disability and who will benefit from a modified Safety Town curriculum at an age that is older than the traditional Safety Town, the City of Stow developed Safety Town Stars. This summer program is open to students with developmental disabilities going into first grade through high school.
Safety Town Stars is a safety education program that teaches students topics such as fire safety, safety belts, pedestrian safety, bus safety, stranger awareness, dog bite prevention, and playground safety. Safety Town Stars employs two full-time certified special education teachers to plan and lead the daily educational process. They are assisted by the Education Specialists from the Stow Fire and Police Departments, as well as other outside safety experts.
Continued use of crossing guards to assist with community service programs is ongoing. The community service jobs included: washing cruisers and fire trucks, cleaning up the grounds, mulching at Adell Durbin Park, and Project Linus (making quilts for terminally ill children). We have added some tedious cleaning jobs with Stow Munroe Falls Schools, Summit County Fairgrounds, and the National Guard Armory. We also cleaned up some of the city streets along with the "Clean Up Stow" project run by Tom McKinney.
The Parenting Program continues to grow and expand to our community's needs. We have a Kimpton Coed Age Group and a High School Coed Age Group that meets simultaneously with the parent groups. This six-hour mandated program has continued to assist parents with effective parenting techniques and strategies. The evaluations received have continued to be very positive.
Juveniles that have been charged with a tobacco violation are required to attend our Tobacco Intervention Program. This curriculum is a four-hour class that is usually broken down into two evenings. The program is designed to make the student aware of how deep their involvement is with tobacco and the future consequences of continued use. We also discuss helpful tips on beating the addiction.