Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood (PAYA)

The Massachusetts Department of Social Services has developed the Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood(PAYA) Program which is designed to prepare adolescents for the transition from out-of-home placement to young adulthood in the community. The fundamental components of PAYA provide social workers, foster parents, and Eagleton School child care workers resources needed to assist our students in developing the skills necessary to make their transitions successful.

Meeting the needs of in-care youth requires a partnership effort because no one living independently really makes it entirely on his/her own. Youths need opportunities to develop the social skills necessary to build supportive social networks. Bringing together our students as a group, all working toward skills presented in the PAYA curriculum, can enhance their interactive abilities while providing a safe atmosphere in which they can share feelings and anxieties. An additional advantage of the group approach is that it parallels the kind of cooperation they will need for successful interdependent living.