The CREC John J. Allison Jr. Polaris Center has been proudly serving children and adolescents with learning disabilities and emotional, behavioral and/or psychiatric problems since 1976. The present day Polaris Center has evolved into a comprehensive treatment center offering quality educational and clinical programming for adolescents throughout the state of Connecticut. Recognizing the multi-faceted challenges facing today's youth, the Polaris Center, with unique community collaborations, works to promote learning, growth, and success with the goal of helping individuals reach their full potential.

1. Polaris Clinical Day School
The Polaris Center's Clinical Day School serves adolescents in grades 6-12, in addition to high school students in need of a 5th year placement. With state of the art technology, the Clinical Day School offers a solid foundation for the learning and support that teenagers with significant social, emotional, mental health, and/or behavioral challenges deserve. The Clinical Day School program is accredited by the State of Connecticut and offers challenging curriculum to meet the needs of our diverse learners. (Click here to view brochure)

2. Lincoln Academy
Lincoln Academy is designed to address the needs of students who have demonstrated an episode(s) of extremely poor judgment, or struggle with social, familial or intrapersonal difficulties that may impact their ability to succeed in a public school setting. Lincoln Academy is not designed for students with serious aggressive behaviors related to a diagnosis of Conduct Disorder and/or Antisocial Personality Traits or who may require intensive behavior management or containment. Lincoln Academy can serve as either a short or long term educational placement. Staff work as a team with student, family, sending school and district representatives to foster the student's academic and social success. (Click here to view brochure)

3. A.T.L.A.S. - The Academy For Therapeutic Learning & Success
The CREC John J. Allison, Jr. Polaris Center's Academy for Therapeutic Learning and Success, ATLAS, is designed to address not only the educational needs of a more fragile student, but also the social and emotional issues that may further hinder a student from reaching their full potential. With specialized therapeutic services including: 7-12 clinical contact hours per week through intensive individual and group counseling, an integrated family component including in-home visits, as appropriate, and comprehensive treatment plans that include weekly goal setting and review, ATLAS provides the therapeutic support that high school students in grades 9-12, who have a clinical Axis 1 diagnosis can fully utilize. (Click here to view brochure)

4. Connections
Connections is an exciting new program under the diverse and expanding Polaris umbrella. This program is entering its first year and was developed to meet the needs of the most challenging students. Connections is essentially the alternative program within an alternative program developed to meet the needs of students who are most at risk for dropping out of school. These students present with challenges and limited skills which are necessary for successful participation in society.

This population of students often demonstrates high levels of truancy as well as conduct or behaviors that persist despite numerous interventions, programs, or alternative placements. Connections is an innovative program that is designed to provide academic, therapeutic, and vocational skills in a manner that is similar to the micro-society approach with significant clinical supports. Students will have the opportunity to earn money and incentives for regular attendance and successful participation within the program.

Connections is strategically staffed with 5 professionals (2 Special Educators, 1 School Social Worker, and 2 Instructional Support Staff) who will be working with at most 12 students in a separate school building on the Polaris campus.

5. APEX
The Polaris Center's APEX Program is the ideal setting for a student who has been expelled from the school district, needs compensatory time, credit recovery, and/or needs to maintain the structure and rigor of coursework that a student can only experience in a classroom setting. With daily instruction by a certified Special Education Teacher, students are able to stay on track in core subject areas, using books and course syllabi provided by their home school. (Click here to view brochure)

6. School Based Health Center
The CREC John J. Allison Jr. Polaris Center's educational programs; the Clinical Day School, ATLAS Academy, APEX, and Lincoln Academy are pleased to offer services to our students through our School Based Health Center. In addition to the routine care that our school nurse provides, nurse practitioners and physicians will provide additional care such as: physical exams for school or sports, immunizations, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses (i.e., strep throat, ear infections, sinus infections, sinusitis, and conditions such as acne.), management of chronic conditions (diabetes, asthma, allergies), diagnosis of injuries, health promotion/education, nutrition and weight management, mental health and preventitive dental services.

7. Extended School Year/Polaris Summer Programming
Although the school summer break provides an important respite for students, it can often lead to academic regression especially for students who have educational, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. The Adventures in Learning Summer Program at the Polaris Center provides students with an opportunity to participate in a program that emphasizes experiential, hands-on and adventure-based learning tied to specific curricula. For students in grades 9-12 who have failed courses, the Credit Recovery Summer Program allows those students the ability to complete the coursework necessary to earn credits toward graduation requirements. (Click here to view Adventures in Learning and Credit Recovery brochure) (Click here to view the Summer Blast flyer)

8. CREC Juvenile Detention Center School Program
In collaboration with the CREC Polaris Center, the Detention Centers Education Program provides educational services to the children placed in Hartford Juvenile Detention Centers. The JDC Educational Program is especially sensitive to the neglected and/or delinquent youth and children who have experienced some sort of trauma. By aligning professional development sessions that support the education staff with classroom instruction and behavior management, our specialized training enables us to effectively educate this diverse population. Dedicated and caring education staff members make positive connections with students providing an atmosphere conducive to motivating reluctant learners.

9. Outpatient Mental Health Clinic for Children & Families
As a part of the Polaris Center, the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic for Children and Families, licensed by the Department of Public Health and the Department of Children and Families, provides high-quality mental health services to children, adults and families in the community. Through collaborative relationships with the UCONN Health Center and St. Francis Hospital, clinic staff identify the treatment issues and put in place the interventions that will best meet the needs of the individual or the family. (Click here to view brochure) (Oprima aqui para ver el folleto)

10. Outdoor Adventure Therapy Program
The Polaris Center's Outdoor Adventure Therapy Program offers a full scale high and low ropes course managed by staff that who have extensive experience and training in the field of ropes course initiatives and experiential learning. Adventure Therapy is utilized by students in all of the Polaris School programs and is a resource available to school districts, community groups, and businesses. The Adventure Therapy Program is designed with group dynamics in mind. Through a series of experiential education games and initiatives, and low and high ropes course elements, groups will develop increased levels of respect and bonds betweens its members will be strengthened. With a "Challenge By Choice" philosophy all participants are encouraged to go as far as they are comfortable within a safe and supportive environment. (Click here to view brochure)

11. Polaris Catering
The Polaris Center is proud to offer catering services to local education agencies, community agencies, and organizations for events such as: meetings, orientations, employee luncheons, workshops, seminars, or open house. Polaris Catering offers vocational opportunities to Polaris students while providing a first class dining experience. (Click here to view brochure)