The first phase of the Main Street campus development project, started in 2019, is completed as the new Doctor Franklin Perkins School Middle School and Hope House residence start to serve the children and youth in our care.

Dr. Franklin Perkins School and RFK Children Action Corps announce their affiliation. Michael Ames becomes President and CEO of both organizations, with RFK Children's Action Corps an affiliate to Dr. Franklin Perkins School. Perkins rebranded as RFK Community Alliance in 2021 and the organizations completed their merger in 2022.

Edward P. Kelley, President and CEO, retired from RFK Children's Action Corps after 35 years of service to the organization. Over Mr. Kelley’s tenure, the agency tripled its programs serving at-risk youth, increased its staff members, increased its annual budget, and most importantly increased the number of youth served.

The Legacy Mentoring program opens in Springfield, MA to serve Hampden County children and youth at risk of, or already affected by, commercial sexual exploitation.

Michael W. Ames, PhD, assumes the role of President and CEO at Perkins. He holds a PhD from the Heller School at Brandeis; an MBA and MSW from Boston College; and a BA from Hobart and William Smith. He joins the agency after many years at other human services agencies in a variety of roles.

Charles P. Conroy, Ed.D. retires from his role as CEO of Perkins. The Board votes to make him Executive Director Emeritus. During his 28 years at Perkins, Dr. Conroy advanced the quality of services, as well as the number of individuals served. In addition, he was an involved community member and thought-leader in the fields of education and human services.

The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice launches under the leadership of John A. Tuell, to provide consultation, technical assistance, and training to local, state, and national leaders, practitioners, and youth-serving agencies.

Bright Futures Adoption Center, led by its founding Executive Director, Karen Cheyney, joins RFK Children’s Action Corps, while Perkins opens the Child Development Center.

RFK Children's Action Corps expands it's programming by opening the Detention Diversion Advocacy Program (DDAP) to help and mentor youth of color who are navigating the juvenile justice system and welcoming the existing Children of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (COASA) program to the organization to provide much needed supports to children who are affected by alcoholism and substance abuse.

Doctor Franklin Perkins School expands it's programming by opening the Center for Behavioral Health to serve the community and surrounding towns and work directly with children in local school systems who might not otherwise have access to mental health services.

Doctor Franklin Perkins School’s Janeway Education Center opens in Lancaster. The 34,000 sq. ft. building includes 15 classrooms, a library, large auditorium, and full-service cafeteria.

Perkins opens Davis Manor, an assisted living program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, allowing some program participants who had grown up at Perkins and attended the Perkins School, to age gracefully in the same comfortable environment with many of the same staff that they have know for life.

Doctor Franklin Perkins School expands it's programming with the opening of Rein in a Dream, a therapeutic horsemanship program. The program helps individuals grow, learn, and heal through positive interactions with horses and smaller farm animals.

The Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps is founded by Phil Johnston and a group of partners who want to honor RFK's legacy and values by helping children who faced challenges and lacked support. Over time, programs grow to include residential homes, special education schools, and secure treatment centers and locations grow to include Boston, Lancaster, and Springfield.

Dr. Perkins moves the school to the Mary and Iver Johnson estate in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Over the following decades, countless children lived and learned at the school, which eventually grew and expanded to accommodate them as they aged. Today, the beautiful original building serves as the main offices of RFK Community Alliance, and the campus is home to many programs, including the Doctor Franklin Perkins School.

Doctor Franklin Haskins Perkins, who had served as Massachusetts’ Assistant Commissioner for Mental Diseases, becomes the school’s administrator. While it's already knows as the Perkins School of Adjustment in 1922, a decade later in 1934, it will be named more officially the Dr. Franklin Perkins School.

The Hillbrow School, eventually renamed Doctor Franklin Perkins School, is founded in Newton, MA to educate children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.