Residential Program
The residential setting is designed to be success oriented and to facilitate personal growth. The patterns of human existence like eating, working, playing, sleeping, are significant factors in a child’s experience. Pine Haven encourages spiritual, emotional, mental and physical growth and health. Staff efforts are aimed at providing a boy with a sense of belonging, while promoting the development of his individuality.
Group Living
Social skills and values are promoted through a structured and organized living experience. Within this stable environment, the boys are encouraged to develop appropriate ways to meet their personal needs and to function in a give-and-take manner with peers and adults. The boys are consulted for matters pertaining to the program. This provides them with a sense of involvement and the feeling that what they have to say can make a difference.
Recreational Activities
Recreational activities are essential to the development of a child. They promote physical well-being, positive direction of drives, and social interactions. The boys enjoy baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, volleyball, roller-blading, bike riding, ice-skating, skiing, hikes and field trips to places of interest, and numerous indoor games.
Weekends and Vacations
Ties with the family are of the utmost importance, and therefore, home visitations are encouraged in accordance with the treatment plan. All boys are recommended to go either to their own home or to a substitute home during Thanksgiving and Christmas. A calendar of all vacations is provided every year.
Pine Haven reserves the discretion to keep any boy at Pine Haven, at any time, when there may be concerns for his health, safety and/or welfare.
Summer Activities
During the summer our boys enjoys free days from school and that allows them to have time for many activities. The sun and warm days give us the opportunity to use the pool almost every day. There is always a life guard on duty.
Days trips and activities includes visits to lakes and breaches, hikes, and mountain biking. The boys enjoy outings at Bear Brook State Park, Water Country, Canobie Lake Park, The Boston Aquarium, and The Zoo. At home, the boys play soccer, baseball, football, “Capture the Flag” and many other games.
Skiing Program
The ski program is part of the residential component. Snow is part of our natural beauty in NH, and we should enjoy it. Show respect for nature, and nature will respect us by giving us the opportunity to enjoy beautiful moments of fun, excitement and relaxation.We developed a ski program so that our students may benefit from the skiing experience. Some students have never skied before while others are fairly proficient. Learning to ski is a process requiring determination, patience, and constancy. Many students struggle through the first lessons, feeling that they cannot succeed, constantly falling and not making progress; yet, through falling and getting up, they develop skills that allow them to stand on the skis and to control the skis as part of themselves. Fear of falling and frustration gives place to excitement and enjoyment…and so they are ready for another time, another adventure on the skis.The ski program has been a wonderful memory for many students while at Pine Haven. We usually ski at McIntyre Ski Area, where we are generously allowed special prices. We ski twice during the week, usually between 7 PM and 8 PM. Winter vacation cannot come soon enough, with wishes for fresh snow and good, sunny weather. During that week, every day is good for skiing.
Soccer Program
Our Soccer Program is part of the residential component, where students are brought together to play as a team. This requires them to interact with each other in a constructive way, showing respect for each other, and following the directions of the coach.The students learn that this is not a “one-player game.” They need to trust each other, understanding that some will play defense and others will score goals. Everyone will have the chance for a goal and they need to play with that in mind.We usually have one or two games a week, for a season of about two months. Our Pine Haven students play against teams from our town and other nearby towns. The teams all play here and the games are very competitive. Our students need to learn to respect the common rules and the referees’ decisions. We have spectators at our games, often our students’ own families, and so the students need to be on their best behavior.Our students really love the soccer program. They get to wear the Pine Haven jersey and they get to feel that they are part of a team. For many, the soccer games are a good incentive to do well in our residential program, since the students can only play if they have shown good behavior during the week.
