CJR offers­ residential, educational, community, and wellness services at locations throughout Connecticut, supported by 275 professionals serving more than 1,700 individuals, families, and communities.

Our Values

CJR’s continuum of care has never been more comprehensive, accessible, or necessary than it is today. With a skilled and compassionate team committed to helping children, young adults, and families identify and utilize their strengths to meet challenges, resolve problems, and relate to others in healthier, happier, and more productive ways, our values guide us in all that we do.

AT CJR WE ARE:

Nurturing

We provide encouragement, tools, and resources in a safe, warm environment.

Committed

We have a strong, unified culture that focuses on collaboration, respect, and creative personalized solutions with an unwavering commitment to help each individual child and his or her family succeed.

Results-oriented

We offer comprehensive services that incorporate evidence-based practices and focus on changing behavior and reducing recidivism by providing support for the entire family.

Optimistic

We hold a steadfast belief that we can help children and their families make better choices and live better lives.

Trustworthy

We believe that earning and preserving trust, honesty, and integrity are fundamental to who we are and how we serve our families.

Our History

Formerly known as the Connecticut Junior Republic, CJR was established in 1904, through the vision and generosity of Litchfield resident Mary T. Buel. Miss Buel bequeathed her Litchfield property of approximately 150 acres, her homestead, and $5,000 to establish a special place to help support disadvantaged young boys. Consistent with Miss Buel’s vision, CJR has provided care, treatment, education, and opportunity for thousands of children since its founding.

Today, the organization off­ers a full continuum of care through a broad spectrum of residential, education, community, and home-based services.

Three residential programs, as well as the Cable Academic and Vocational Education Center (CAVEC) for boys and the Michael P. Mortara Family Center, which serves as the administrative site for CJR’s Wellness Center Programs, are located on CJR’s original Litchfield campus.

CJR’s first community-based program opened in Waterbury in 1989. A therapeutic group home for boys was opened in Winchester in 2007. In 2017, CJR purchased the site of its current Waterbury program, and extensively renovated both the main building and carriage house on the property during 2018. Over the years, CJR has opened additional community-based programs, including locations in Danbury (2004), Meriden (2010), New Britain (2010), and Torrington (2009). CJR also provides prevention programs and behavioral health services in a growing number of schools.

In 2023, CJR rebranded, adopting a new logo and tagline to reflect our evolution to serve the needs of today’s families. CJR’s new visual identity, a dragonfly, has long been a symbol of happiness, new beginnings, and change, and demonstrates how CJR provides individuals and families with opportunities for transformation.

CJR’s 150-acre Litchfield campus continues to offer a unique therapeutic and educational environment, which includes a working farm, acres of agricultural fields and woodlands, the Bertha Wheeler Gymnasium and Pool Complex, and the D’Assern Dining Center.