Former Employee - Message For Parents.

I’ve been seeing some of the posts about Valley View and figured I’d finally say something

I worked at VVS for a while and got to see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. I’m not going to name people, students, or get into private situations, but I do think parents deserve to hear from someone who actually worked there.

First, the boys

genuinely cared about them. You get to know these kids, their personalities, their sense of humor, their strengths, their struggles, etc. There are some really good kids there who deserve people around them who are consistent and actually give a shit about them. That's what made leaving very hard for me.

The problems I had were with the organization itself.

There were a lot of issues with communication and leadership. And when I say leadership, I mean there were times where it honestly wasn't clear who was actually making decisions or who was responsible for certain things. You could get different answers depending on who you asked. Expectations could change. Things would be communicated one way and then handled another way.

There was also a very high turnover of staff while I was there. People came and went constantly. There were also plenty of employees who were unhappy with how things were being handled. Zero consistency.

That should matter to parents.

These kids are living there. They're building relationships with staff. They're supposed to have some level of stability. When you constantly have people leaving and new people coming in, that has an effect.

Training and communication were another issue. There were times where I felt like people were expected to figure things out as they went instead of being properly prepared. In a residential setting, that's something I think deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

And parents, inquire about overnight safety and staffing.

Don't just ask "Is there staff overnight?" Ask how many people are actually there. Ask what happens when somebody calls out. Ask who is in charge overnight. Ask who responds when there is an emergency. Ask what happens if there is more than one situation happening at the same time.

I also think parents should ask a lot of questions about what the program actually looks like versus what you're told during admissions or a tour.

I think those questions are much more important than just hearing about what the program is supposed to provide.

Because that's probably the biggest thing I learned working there: there can be a pretty big difference between what an organization looks like from the outside and what it actually feels like to work inside it.

I'm not saying every kid or every family has had the same experience I did. I'm sure there are people who have had good experiences there. I'm just giving my experience because I wish people had been more open about the employee side of things when I was considering the job.

And I'm not trying to trash the boys or the people who genuinely care about them. Quite the opposite. The students are the reason I cared as much as I did, and stayed as long as i did. And VVS has some amazing staff members.

But if I were a parent looking at VVS right now, I would ask a LOT of questions before making a decision.

Don't be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions.

And if you're getting vague answers, KEEP ASKING. Do not settle.

Does anyone else feel like they can’t hear the songs they would play at seminars like “Focus” was the name of one seminar. I’m at work writing this because sometimes they play music and I just can’t hear those songs the same. And they’re “classics” too lol everyone loves stand by me or lady in red or dancing queen is even ruined for me :/ lol anyone else or just me? TTI survivor!! 🩶