SAN DIEGO YOUTH

&
COMMUNITY SERVICES

EAST COUNTY COMMUNITIES

CENTER

Our Vision
Is strong healthy communities where all youth are
valued and achieve their highest potential

COOL BED
PROGRAM

Our Mission
Is to help at-risk youth become self-sufficient and
reach their highest potential investing in them,
strengthening their families and building their
communities.

A program designed to
strengthen and empower
youth and families

East County Communities Center

Cool Bed Program
900 North Cuyamaca, Suite #108
El Cajon, CA 92020
(619) 258-6877

A brief history
Founded in 1970 as a community response
abandoned and neglected youth, San Diego
Youth & Community Services ushered in
groundbreaking services that led to more humane
laws and protections juveniles. It opened one of
the first runaway shelters in the nation and
introduced the only foster care for special-needs
children In San Diego County. Support programs
for families were added 1972 to stabilize single
parent homes, advocate for affordable housing,
provide care for the elderly poor, and supply multicultural education and job training programs. The
first social service merger in the history of San
Diego expanded San Diego Youth & Community
Services' programs extending emergency
services to "low income and homeless
populations countywide. The agency has a legacy
of innovative response to emerging social
problems, developing programs that creates
opportunity and independence for clients of all
ages and backgrounds.

Funded by San Diego County Health and Human

Services Agency, Contract Operations

San Diego Youth & Community Services

Cool Bed Program
What is a Cool Bed?
Cool Beds offer a secure, proven alternative to
institutional settings for youth who need a break
during stressful situations. Cool Beds are
voluntary short-term (14-day maximum)
placements in foster homes certified by SDYCS.
Foster families receive extensive training prior to
certification and are located in the East county
region of San Diego. When a youth is matched
with a foster family, this family becomes part of a
support network geared to ensure the youths
successful return home or to another stable
environment. Youth will continue to attend school
on a daily basis with the support of both their
natural and foster families, and the clinician and
the case manager.

Who is eligible?
This is a voluntary program for youth and families
who desire a cooling-off period. Youth must be
an East County resident and at least 12-17 years
of age. In addition, youth must not have a history
of fire-setting, sexual perpetration, severe
psychosis or violence toward self or others, and
must not be gang-affiliated. Youth and families
will be interviewed by the clinician or the case
manager to determine eligibility based on these
criteria.

How can youth and families sign-up for

placement in a Cool Bed?
Youth and families can sign-up for placement in a
Cool Bed by calling San Diego Youth &
Community Services East County Communities
Center (ECCC) at 619-258-6877 or by stopping by
ECCC. The center is currently located in El Cajon
at 900 North Cuyamaca St., Suite 108. A partial
assessment will be taken over the phone or in
person to determine a youths eligibility for the
program. Eligible youth and parents will be
invited for a meeting at ECCC to complete the
assessment and placement. Parental consent is
required.

What Kind of support do youth and families in

the Cool Bed program receive?
Youth and families will be assigned a clinician and
a case manager who will assist to support them in
all aspects of preparing for the youths return to a
stable environment during the cooling-off period.
The clinician will continue to provide individual
and family counseling to the youth and family
during the youths short-term placement. After the
youth return home or to another stable
environment, family will be invited to come to an
aftercare family group. Family can find support
and learn more coping skills from other families
and group facilitators. In addition, the clinician
and the case manager will assist the youth and
family to find helpful resources according to need.
Youth receive:
Structured, Nurturing Foster Care
Case Management
Individual/ Group Counseling
Independent Living Skill Training
24-hour Emergency Response
Families receive:
Case Management
Family Counseling
Parenting Support
24-hour Emergency Response
Referrals to Appropriate
Community Resources
Aftercare Family Support Group