What does “Caring people, preparing youth for life” look like in action? Sometimes, it’s as simple as showing up with a cake.
In Kalispell, a child in our Child Welfare Prevention and Support Services (CWPSS) program recently celebrated their first birthday. When the father couldn’t bring something to mark the day, Michael Palumbo, Family Unification Specialist, stepped in—picking up a smash cake and a candle so the milestone wouldn’t go uncelebrated.
It was a small gesture that spoke volumes about the heart of our mission. Acts of care like this remind us that caring for children and families isn’t only about services—it’s about people who notice the little things and go the extra mile.
Strengthening Families Across Montana
Our CWPSS program partners with Child and Family Services to strengthen families and keep kids safely at home whenever possible. Through parent education, supervised visitation, and care coordination, our team helps prevent separation and supports reunification—building resilient, stable family systems across Montana.
These efforts are part of a broader network of family support services in Montana, helping children thrive in their own homes and communities. Every day, caring professionals like Michael Palumbo show what it means to be caring people, preparing youth for life—meeting families where they are and ensuring that no milestone, big or small, goes unnoticed.
Are you looking for ways to help kids with ADHD thrive? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological condition that affects how children think, learn, and connect with the world around them.
Keep reading for ways to support kids living with ADHD, and check out our blog post, 16 Quotes That Illustrate ADHD, for more perspective on the diagnosis.
Quotes on How to Help Kids with ADHD Thrive
Quote 1: Kids do well if they can. If they aren’t doing well, it means there’s a barrier between effort and success that must be addressed. – Dr. Ross Greene
Quote 2: I am always open to communication, but I need to hear positive comments about my son as well. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 3: Ask students to set small achievable learning goals so they can experience success. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 4: The key is pushing kids past their comfort zone but not so far that they feel overwhelmed. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 5: Multi-step directions are counterproductive. There is just too much information to take in and retain. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 6: Research shows that distractible kids need to fidget in order to focus. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 7: The more of my senses you address, the more engaged I will be in learning. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 8: Teach students to write down questions that occur to them during “silent time.” – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 9: Delayed consequences, such as detention, don’t work for kids with ADHD. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 10: Don’t assign homework as a punishment or consequence for misbehavior at school. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 11: Research shows that music helps the ADHD brain organize time and space, aiding in learning and memory. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 13: Provide opportunities for kids to show divergent, creative, and imaginative thinking—and to receive recognition for that originality. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 14: The best teacher for a child with ADHD is one who celebrates and works with their student’s creativity, energy, and curiosity. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 15: Success at school is the single more therapeutic thing a child can experience. – Chris Ziegler Deny, M.S.
The first freeze of fall arrived earlier this month, marking a shift in season and spirit across the Ranch in Billings. Before the chill set in, Josie Brady, Native American Services Coordinator, and Liz Campoy, PR Coordinator, made one final visit to the Indigenous Garden—a space rooted in culture, healing, and connection. Together, they harvested the last of the season’s bounty and prepared the garden for rest.
A Season of Abundance in the Indigenous Garden
The Indigenous Garden radiated life and color—delicata squash, tomatoes, marigolds, pumpkins, sunflowers, corn, tomatillos, cucumbers, peppers, and lemon balm. Each plant carried purpose and meaning.
Tomatoes were simmered into soup served with grilled cheese sandwiches, while marigolds and lemon balm steeped into calming teas. Pumpkins brightened shared spaces with their cheerful hues, and cucumbers and peppers offered fresh, nourishing simplicity.
Using tomatoes and jalapeños from the harvest, homemade salsa brought people together—a gift from the earth shared in community.
Connection, Renewal, and Rest
For Josie and Liz, harvesting in the Indigenous Garden was more than gathering food—it was a spiritual experience, a quiet connection to the ancestors who once tended these same crops for their families. With each seed, root, and blossom, their wisdom was honored, and wellness renewed.
Working the soil grounded the spirit, cleared the mind, and reminded all who helped that healing grows in cycles—just like the earth.
As the beds are cleared and the soil rests, the Indigenous Garden enters a season of renewal—its lessons of gratitude, growth, and connection continuing to nourish all who walk its paths.
Have you heard of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? It’s a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person thinks, learns, and behaves.
Below are details about the condition, the strengths that often accompany it, and quotes that capture what it’s like to live with ADHD.
Hallmark symptoms include:
Inattentive Type
Trouble paying attention (easily sidetracked)
Doesn’t like or avoids long mental tasks (such as homework)
Trouble staying on task during school, at home, or even at play
Disorganized and seems forgetful
Doesn’t appear to listen when directly spoken to
Doesn’t pay close attention to details
Loses things often
Makes careless mistakes
Struggles to follow through with instructions
Hyperactive/Impulsive Type
Blurting out answers before a question is finished
Frequently interrupting others
Trouble waiting for their turn
Talks too much
Fidgeting, tapping, and squirming
Gets up when it’s not appropriate (such as when the teacher is talking or in the middle of dinner)
Running or climbing in inappropriate situations.
Unable to play quietly
Always “on the go.”
Kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder present predominantly with inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, or, most frequently, a combination of symptoms.
It often coexists with learning, autism spectrum, anxiety, and mood disorders, and children exposed to trauma may be misdiagnosed with the condition.
Children with ADHD think differently and have a host of strengths.
16 Quotes Illustrating ADHD
Below are sixteen quotes that paint a portrait of what life is like for kids living with ADHD.
Quote 1: Only a small fraction of children with ADHD demonstrate outwardly hyperactive symptoms. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 2: Anyone who exhibits the classic symptoms of ADHD will have difficulty with all or most of the seven core executive functions. – Russell Barkley, Ph.D.
Quote 3: Even mild stress floods the prefrontal cortex with dopamine, essentially taking it offline. – Adele Diamond, Ph.D.
Quote 4: Many kids with ADHD shut down when overwhelmed. They may act out when confronted with meeting parental expectations, like cleaning their room, as they have no idea how to start and finish. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 5: Repeated bouts of fear, frustration and failure in school create stress that is neurologically damaging. – Jerome Scultz, Ph.D.
Quote 6: A lot of kids will develop poor self-esteem related to the symptoms of ADHD. – Perri Klass, M.D. & Eileen Costello, M.D.
Quote 7: Teens with ADHD often have a deep-seated fear of failure that can look like a problem with motivation. – Rick Fiery, M.S.
Quote 8: Many boys with social anxiety retreat into a virtual world of gaming because it is safer and easier than possibly facing rejection from peers. – Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW
Quote 9: The way ADHD often expresses itself in girls—excessive talking, poor self-esteem, worrying, perfectionism—is seldom read as such. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 10: Executive function challenges are often mistaken for disobedience, laziness, defiance, or apathy. – Chris Zeigler Dendy, M.S.
Quote 11: For kids with ADHD, poor behavior usually blossoms from a skill deficit. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 12: Children with ADHD have lower brain arousal; this decreases their ability to screen out distractions. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 13: For kids with undiagnosed dyslexia, everyday schooling is like being taught in a foreign language. – Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D.
Quote 14: Auditory processing disorder may impair auditory discrimination, listening in noisy environments, and recalling what you’ve heard and the sequence of words spoken. – ADDitude Magazine
Quote 15: Kids do well if they can. If they aren’t doing well, it means there’s a barrier between effort and success that must be addressed. – Dr. Ross Greene
Quote 16: Success at school is the single more therapeutic thing a child can experience. – Chris Ziegler Deny, M.S.
How to Help Kids with ADHD Thrive
Read the blog below for tips on how to support kids with ADHD.
When it comes to Montana youth mental health, one year can change everything. For kids and families across the state, it’s meant more access to care, more stability, and more hope.
This month marks one year since Youth Dynamics (YDI) joined Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR)—a partnership grounded in compassion, collaboration, and commitment to strengthening the continuum of care for youth and families. Together, we’ve expanded our reach, unified our systems, and built a stronger foundation for healing across Montana.
These homes are more than programs—they’re communities where young people build relationships, rediscover purpose, and gain the skills they need for a successful future. This growth reflects not only increased capacity but the heart of our shared mission: helping kids and families thrive close to home.
Strengthening Systems That Support Care
Behind each success is a focus on stewardship and connection. Over the past year, YBGR has implemented streamlined systems that enhance how we work, communicate, and support one another. These improvements allow teams to spend more time where it matters most—caring for youth and families.
Together, we’re building a stronger, more responsive behavioral health system—one that ensures kids receive the right care, at the right time, close to home.
What moves the needle for kids? At this year’s Yellowstone Conference, the answer was clear—we are stronger together.
Under the theme “Stronger Together: Building Strategic Partnerships for Lasting Impact,” leaders from across Montana’s behavioral health, education, and nonprofit sectors gathered to share expertise, strengthen relationships, and explore collaborative solutions that reach beyond any one organization.
The conversations weren’t just inspiring—they were practical, thoughtful, and rooted in action. Every discussion pointed to one truth: lasting change happens when we work side by side.
The takeaway was simple but powerful: none of us can do this alone. Together, we can move the needle in ways that change lives for Montana kids and families.
Building Stronger Systems of Care
Throughout the day, panel discussions highlighted how connection, trust, and shared goals lead to stronger, more resilient systems of care. From deepening partnerships with Native communities to strengthening Montana’s behavioral health workforce, each session emphasized collaboration as the foundation of progress.
These exchanges moved beyond theory to what works in practice: aligning systems, listening to communities, and ensuring kids receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
Thank You to Our Yellowstone Conference Participants
Much gratitude to every speaker who brought their expertise, insight, and leadership to this year’s conference. Your voices shaped meaningful dialogue and drove forward a shared vision for Montana’s youth.
Panelists included:
Clint Valandra – Indigenous Education Coordinator, Billings Public Schools
Charlene “Charli” Sleeper – Founder, MMIP Billings Advocacy Project; Mental Health Worker, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch
Sunny Day Real Bird – Director of American Indian Outreach, Montana State University Billings
David R. Blaine – CEO, Crow Times Youth and Elder Works
James C. Petrovich, PhD, MSW – Professor & Department Chair; Founding Director, Master of Social Work Program, Carroll College
Kate Chapin, MSW, LCSW – Executive Director, Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development, University of Montana
Becky Lyons, EdD – Director of Career & Employment Services, Montana State University Billings
Jen Chancellor, MBA – University Development Counselor, Grand Canyon University
Matt Leavenworth, PhD, LCPC – Founder, Pay Love Forward; Vice Chair, Yellowstone County Suicide Prevention Coalition
Nina Hernandez – Executive Director, Friends of the Children – Eastern Montana; Nonprofit Leader & Consultant
Special thanks to our conference sponsors, Grand Canyon University and Love INC–Yellowstone County, for helping make this event possible and for their commitment to strengthening Montana’s systems of care.
Moving Forward
The Yellowstone Conference reaffirmed a collective belief: progress happens when people work together. Across every discussion, one message stood out — collaboration builds the foundation for lasting impact.
Together, we’re creating opportunities, strengthening relationships, and preparing youth for life.
