YBGR

YBGR : Caring people, preparing youth for life. Nonprofit mental health center caring for kids since 1957.

On October 6, 2024, Youth Dynamics officially joined Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR)—now delivering expanded care to kids and families under the YBGR name. Below you’ll find more about our mission, values, and the full continuum of care we provide:

Our Mission

“Caring people, preparing youth for life.”

Our Values

As we carry out our mission, we lead with our values FIRSt:

Faith

Faith

means being sure of successfully achieving our mission based on our trust in a loving creator. Integrity

Integrity means doing what is right, putting the needs of others above our own, and living by the highest values. Relationship

Relationship means being committed to one another in a mutually respectful, dignified, healthy, and honoring manner. Stewardship

Stewardship means using any resource or talent entrusted to us to fulfill our mission. Our Continuum of Care

We provide a full continuum of mental health care for youth and their families, grounded in our mission and values. From community-based and in-school services to therapeutic group homes and PRTF residential care, we deliver seamless support tailored to each child’s unique needs, addressing a wide range of mental health conditions using evidence-based treatment models. Community-Based Services

Community-based services bring care to youth where they need it most—at home, in school, and in their community. From mentoring and case management to home support, outpatient therapy, family reunification programs, CSCT, and more, we ensure every child receives the right care at the right time in the least restrictive environment. Therapeutic Group Homes

When youth need more structured treatment than can be provided in the community or are stepping down from PRTF care, our Therapeutic Group Homes in Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and Boulder provide a supportive, family-like setting. PRTF Residential Care

For youth requiring more intensive therapeutic support, our historic PRTF campus in Billings delivers treatment in a structured, safe environment led by a multidisciplinary team of therapists, psychiatrists, nurses, and educators. Families are essential partners, actively engaging in treatment and discharge planning.

On September 16, 1965, education at the Ranch took an important step forward with the addition of School District 58.Fro...
04/09/2026

On September 16, 1965, education at the Ranch took an important step forward with the addition of School District 58.

From traditional classroom instruction to hands-on vocational training, education became an important part of preparing kids for life beyond the Ranch.

Students built academic skills while also discovering practical talents through opportunities such as woodworking, drafting, welding, small-engine repair, printing, cooking, and other trades.

These early classrooms and training programs reflected a belief that education should meet each student where they are, helping them build confidence, develop useful skills, and discover what they can accomplish.

More than 60 years later, that commitment continues through Yellowstone Academy. While classrooms, technology, and teaching methods have changed, the purpose remains familiar: giving young people opportunities to learn, grow, and prepare for their futures.

School District 58 became part of our story in 1965, and education has remained an important part of our mission ever since.

Mental health care is changing. How do we move forward while keeping people, compassion, and connection at the center?Jo...
03/09/2026

Mental health care is changing. How do we move forward while keeping people, compassion, and connection at the center?

Join us on Thursday, September 24th, for the 2026 Yellowstone Conference: Mental Health in Motion: Innovation, Compassion, and Change.

Clinicians, educators, community providers, researchers, and advocates will come together to explore:

🔹 Supporting neurodivergent individuals and special populations
🔹 Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
🔹 The risks and opportunities of AI in mental health treatment
🔹 Collaboration to improve outcomes across Montana

We’ll also welcome Daniel Champer, MA, LCPC, Director of Clinical and Residential Services at Florence Crittenton, as our special keynote speaker.

📅 September 24th | The Ranch in Billings or virtual
🎓 5.75 CEUs & 6 OPI credits available

Register today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-yellowstone-conference-mental-health-in-motionceu-opi-credits-tickets-1995572529154

Every child deserves someone who sees their potential, stays connected through the hard moments, and reminds them they m...
03/09/2026

Every child deserves someone who sees their potential, stays connected through the hard moments, and reminds them they matter.

Our Spiritual Life Program at the Ranch gives kids opportunities to explore faith, ask questions, and discover what brin...
03/09/2026

Our Spiritual Life Program at the Ranch gives kids opportunities to explore faith, ask questions, and discover what brings peace and hope to their lives.

During Sunday chapel, kids reflected on Jesus’ parable about greed and discussed what it means to be rich in God’s blessings, including how we can use those blessings to serve others.

Faith and connection continue beyond chapel, too.

Greycliff Community Church recently visited to share live music with our kids.

Young Life Club brings youth together for games, music, meaningful conversations, and plenty of fun.

We’re grateful for the volunteers and community partners who help create these opportunities for our kids!

We want our kids to come to us when life gets hard.When they’ve made a mistake. When they’re scared. When they’re strugg...
02/09/2026

We want our kids to come to us when life gets hard.

When they’ve made a mistake. When they’re scared. When they’re struggling with a relationship. When they’re facing a decision they don’t know how to make.

But that kind of trust isn’t built the day a teenager has a problem.

It’s built over years.

Every time we listen without immediately judging. Every time we stay connected through a mistake. Every time we allow disagreement without making it a threat to the relationship. Every time we respond to honesty with guidance instead of shame.

Those moments teach kids something important: “I don’t have to have everything figured out before I come to you.”

Creating safety doesn’t mean approving of every choice, avoiding consequences, or never getting frustrated. Parents don’t have to be perfect to build strong relationships with their kids.

They simply need to keep showing their kids, again and again, that imperfection doesn’t cost them connection.

The goal isn’t to raise kids who never struggle or make mistakes. It’s to build the kind of relationship they know they can return to when they do.

Strengthening our continuum of care is a priority at YBGR. By working together across programs, our teams create smoothe...
02/09/2026

Strengthening our continuum of care is a priority at YBGR. By working together across programs, our teams create smoother transitions and better prepare kids for what comes next.

Rishay Watson who oversees our Admissions team and Treatment Coordinators; Emily Reyes Program Manager of Shumaker Lodge, team members across the Ranch, and our Therapeutic Group Homes are working together to make that continuum even more effective.

The goal is to identify kids in residential care who could benefit from a 60–90 day stay in a Therapeutic Group Home before returning home, creating a more gradual transition with continued structure and support.

This collaboration brings together treatment coordinators, therapists, program managers and group home managers.

By communicating early and planning together, teams ensure smoother transitions while making the best use of services already available across YBGR.

It's a great example of what happens when we work as one team: greater efficiency, stronger continuity of care and thoughtful next steps for the kids we serve.

Relationships matter—especially when kids are struggling.Consistent, supportive relationships with caring adults help ki...
01/09/2026

Relationships matter—especially when kids are struggling.

Consistent, supportive relationships with caring adults help kids build trust, regulate emotions, develop healthy coping skills, and feel safe enough to grow.

Sometimes that means listening. Staying calm when emotions run high. Setting boundaries with care. Following through. And continuing to show up, even when things are hard.

For kids who have experienced trauma, loss, or instability, those everyday interactions can make a lasting difference. 💛

The Donald Nutter Dining Hall was truly built by many hands and kind hearts. Recently, John Whyte, our Admissions Coordi...
01/09/2026

The Donald Nutter Dining Hall was truly built by many hands and kind hearts.

Recently, John Whyte, our Admissions Coordinator in Great Falls, shared a special piece of Ranch history: a 1965 letter from Executive Director Franklin Robbie thanking John’s parents for their $1 contribution to the Ranch.

That single dollar represents something much bigger. During the campaign to build the new Dining Hall, gifts of all sizes came together to help the Ranch grow and serve more kids.

At the time, Robbie wrote that 80 boys were living on campus, with only 10 empty bunks, while requests for new placements continued each week. The Dining Hall was the Ranch’s “chief construction program,” even as a Montana winter slowed its progress.

The Dining Hall opened in 1966, welcoming 450 people to celebrate.

Nearly 60 years later, that $1 gift is a wonderful reminder: generosity has never been measured by the size of the gift, but by the heart behind it.

31/08/2026

🌶️ Calling all chili cooks! Join us at the Ranch on Saturday, October 10th, for Yellowstone Foundation’s Chili Cookoff. Learn more in the post below and visit www.yellowstonefoundation.org/chili-cookoff for additional information.

We all want our kids to be kind.To include others. Stand up for people who are mistreated. Respect differences. Show com...
31/08/2026

We all want our kids to be kind.

To include others. Stand up for people who are mistreated. Respect differences. Show compassion. Use their power to help rather than hurt.

But those lessons begin long before kids encounter a lesson about bullying.

They begin in relationships.

Kids learn about power through the way adults use power with them. They learn whether being bigger, stronger, or in charge gives someone the right to intimidate, humiliate, or control another person.

They learn respect by experiencing respect.

They learn empathy when their feelings are met with understanding.

They learn that mistakes don’t make someone deserving of shame, that disagreement doesn’t justify cruelty, and that another person’s vulnerability should be met with care.

This doesn’t mean kids don’t need boundaries, correction, or accountability. It means remembering that the way we guide them is teaching something, too.

If we want our kids to help create a kinder world, that work begins by making home a place where kindness, dignity, and respect are practiced every day—including in the way we treat them.

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