Our Houseparent Blog has a new home! Please visit https://communications760.wixsite.com/talesofahouseparent for all the new posts & stories.

With another holiday season rapidly approaching it’s time to take a look at Fall Holidays. In an earlier post (titled “Holidays” if you’d like to go back and check it out) we discussed Spring holidays, and how holidays at the Ranch can be difficult, since kids are...

Since we have talked about what happens when kids come to join us at Joy Ranch, the next logical question is: What happens when they leave? When kids leave is determined by a lot of factors - in the end there are times when our kids leave having completed a transition...

By Michelle Rash It’s hard to believe we’ve got almost 2 months of school under our belts! The schools here start during the beginning of August, typically and end in May (depending on winter weather!) Like most families, getting back into the school year routine can...

A lot of questions we get asked as houseparents begin with the phrase: “What happens when” A common question of this sort is: What happens when kids first come to Joy Ranch? How do they come to be with you?   I am so glad you asked! As we have often mentioned...

Summer is a great time to be a kid. And it is no exception for our kids here at Joy Ranch. So far all or some of our residents have: Spent a week at the beach Attended day camp One of our younger residents attended Science Camp Taken a trip with a local youth group...

There are a lot of things about houseparenting that people are unsure of: What is a houseparent? Are the kids orphans? Are you foster care? Who pays for their care? Why do you have these kids? Etc., etc., etc.   Because there is so much that can be unclear, we...

I pulled the door tightly closed behind me and made it to my room just in time for the tears to begin falling down my face. I sank into my bed, buried my face in my hands, and began to weep, no longer able to suffocate the pain welling up inside. Some days, this job...

Last week Michelle wrote about what a house parent is - and is not. We both agree that an important piece of understanding that is having a better sense of the population we work with. Michelle mentioned that we are not: Camp counselors - this isn’t a summer camp. ...